ShonaTay56

4 hours ago, Debbiem83 said:

Hello all, nosy woman here, waiting for her cruise in October and hoping that despite the challenges for covid  the cruise will still be similar to past experiences!

 

what I really want to know is..

 

is the concierge lunch cancelled - I read that somewhere on another forum. This is new for me and I really wanted to experience it… so paid extra!

 

whats it like onboard…really like… compared to before?

 

none of this puts me off, I can’t wait to cruise again, but I’m at work and I’m bored so looking for something to tide me over in chatter!! Please let me know how your getting on!

Hi Debbie, We are going on the Silhouette on the 23rd and we have been following FB as well as CC and there is more info on FB at the moment. I can't answer your query regarding the concierge lunch as we will be doing the Aqua. From what I have read it is being held in the main dining room but on another thread it said that they had gone to the Oceanview for the lunch as the Concierge was not available. All reports i have read on the FB page indicate that cruising is back as good as it was before just a bit quieter.

1 hour ago, downsmead said:

For the U.K. sailings, X are currently saying only Celebrity Shorexes PLUS a PCR test 72 hours prior to boarding. No other U.K. sailings are stipulating a PCR test for vaccinated cruisers.

Below is a copy of what was sent to me with my booking confirmation. If you go on to the Healthy at Sea section it also states that over 18's need proof of 2 vaccines and those over 2 will have to take an antigen test at the port prior to boarding. So far no mention of negative test 72 hours prior to boarding.

1 hour ago, cruisestitch said:

Here is a guess, and this is only a guess,regarding inside and Oceanview rooms.

 

It is possible that while Celebrity is restricting bookings to 50% of capacity, that they are allowing crew members who normally would have to share a room to be able to occupy some of the inside an ocean view rooms, which will allow for greater distancing of crewmembers during the transition.

I booked a sailing round the UK for the 23rd July and when I was speaking to the X sales agent she confirmed that inside and oceanview on the Silhouette are being used to allow social distancing between crew members.

We have booked an Aqua cabin for the July 23rd 8 night cruise. I also upgraded to the Elevate package for the premium drinks, my wife likes the Martini bar, so the total cost was just shy of £2,000 each. Compared to a 5 star hotel anywhere in the UK I think the pricing is great. £250 per night for full board, all drinks included, entertainment, etc is not something you would find on a land based hotel experience.

1 hour ago, hcat said:

Great cookies, tarts and other treats and great teas  and coffees there ( Love the IGLU). 

 

To shona tay

Not everyone drinks alcohol

 

Sorry I am from Scotland so what do you expect😄

On 4/18/2021 at 6:21 AM, abbydancer said:

Coffee in Al Bacio with my sister and BFFs this July I hope.

 

Sounds like a very sober idea or are you going to be drinking the specialty coffee🧉😉 

There was an item on our national news that covered venice during the lockdown and the locals are all rethinking the decisions that have been made because they now realise that they need the tourists, so who knows what will happen. 

3 minutes ago, LIMPIT said:

Has anyone seen this promotion before, recently posted on another forum, offered on Day 3, price includes gratuity ? 

Hi Limpit, been on 7 Celebrity cruises before and have never seen this. I always have at least the classic package, which I usually upgrade, so it could have been offered before but I was not offered it because of the package I had.

I received the email about 7-8 weeks ago and tried to upgrade but it was not showing on the planner page. I contacted Celebrity UK who advised that our sailing did not qualify for the sail so they gave me the equivalent of what I would have saved as OBC as an apology for getting the email in error.

Lo and behold I got the same email last week and went in to my cruise planner and was able to book it so I ended up saving the 10% discount plus the $30 or so that I got in OBC. What a boost, thanks Celebrity🍸🍸 

There was a Quisine on deck 5 prior to the refurb and as far as I can see it is still there on the current plan. It is at the stern of the ship on the way to the Blu restaurant and Tuscan Grille. I am on Equinox in just over 2 weeks so if it has disappeared I will let you know. I actually think it is now Quisine / Le Petit Chef.

Alan

Biggest problem at the moment is that BA has notified a lot of people in error that their flights are cancelled. We fly out of Aberdeen then Heathrow on the 11th Sept. We got an email on Friday telling us that they both had been cancelled. Spoke to our TA on Saturday and they eventually came back to me saying that our flight was still showing as scheduled and an email had been sent to us in error. An hour later I got an email from BA saying that they had made a mistake and our flight was still going ahead.

Willma I would check with your TA before doing anything.

Alan Taylor

15 hours ago, MJSailors said:

ShonaTay56

      You are correct that my DH and I have enjoyed a number of cruises on the Summit before the drydock refurbishment that occurred this past Spring.

      We were considering another cruise on the Summit for this Summer,but as I read reviews posted on CC and saw photos of uncomfortable furniture on the balconies, we decided to take a resort vacation in Bermuda later this Fall instead.

      We have enjoyed aft cabins on the Summit-that used to be furnished with two loungers, a large table and comfortable chairs for dining at the table. We enjoy breakfast and late night snacks on those large balconies.

      I saw some photos of the furnishings on those balconies post refurbishment. Gone is  the large table for dining, a rather small table is the replacement. There is also no coffee table in the cabin with the new design choices.

Where is one to have room service ?

        I agree that “you can’t please all the people all the time”. However, from reading other’s reviews ,looking at their posted photos and reading the comments posted  here on this particular  forum I  question whether  in fact form over function was the directive of the Edgification design.

           As for us, the new design, if it remains in place, is not something we would be comfortable with on the Summit. As MsLutoff suggested in her response here, perhaps some of the design features will be changed going forward depending on customer feedback. If that occurs on the Summit,we would gladly return for a cruise to Bermuda from NJ as it is a convenient port for us that does not require a flight.

           Luckily for travelers, there are a myriad amount of choices available to enjoy a vacation and/or discover places in the world. As for us, we are anticipating a cruise on the new Sky Princess in early Spring 2020. We have also considered a cruise on HAL and American CruiseLine river cruises. We may also consider a Celebrity cruise on ships that have not undergone Edgification yet.

           I see from your signature that you have not been on a Celebrity ship that has undergone Edgification. You do have a cruise on the Equinox this coming September. With that in mind, I may suggest a very good review posted on the Celebrity boards by Mr Met. He and his wife recently sailed on the Equinox after the refurbishment. Apparently, not the full Edgification was done to the Equinox,possibly due to time constraints of the recent dry dock. From reading his review, it was apparent that Mr Met and his wife had an enjoyable cruise.

              I do hope you enjoy your cruise in September. Bon voyage!

 

Hi MJSailors,

You are quite correct we have not been on one of the revamped ships as yet but we are certainly looking forward to our 13th Sept cruise on the Equinox. I have been following Mr Met on this forum and also several others on FB who are having a great time, which I am sure we will also.

Unfortunately living in Scotland there are not too many cruise ships that call in that I fancy going on, Fred Olsen and Cruise Maritime. We do have an Azamara cruise that leaves Edinburgh and goes round the British Isles but I don't fancy that as I have been to most of the stops so many times.

Thank you for replying and as I said I am sure that we will enjoy our upcoming cruise on the Equinox. Who ever you decide to sail with make sure you enjoy it.

Regards

Alan

 

 

 

 

I'm maybe missing something here but from reading MJSailors question it would appear that she has been on the Summit in the past but has not been on any Celebrity ship that has been revolutionized. If that is the case then she is listening to reviews from other people and we all have to remember that not all people like the same thing. The old saying is very true, 'You can't please all the people all the time'. IMHO Celebrity do a very good job all round. We have done several cruises and prefer Celebrity above the others we have tried but then again this is my personal preference and others may prefer Royal Caribbean or Norwegian more than Celebrity.

Hi Captain John,

You haven't said if this cruise was booked through a travel agent or with celebrity direct. I would think the first course of action would be to contact the people you booked the cruise through and discuss this with them.

If it was booked through celebrity I would personally speak to them and explain your predicament and I am sure that they will come to an agreeable solution.

I have dealt with celebrity a few times and have always found them to be accommodating though i have never had to cancel and re-book a cruise yet.

Good luck and hopefully a successful outcome.

Alan Taylor

12 hours ago, Qwksilver said:

Just back from Equinox July 6^th - July 13^th. Overall it was a great cruise. The pluses: 1) The Honeymoon & Christmas excursion in St Thomas is awesome. It does take up most of the day though. 2) Ship condition is excellent. 3) The service was great. 4) Loved the perks offered by Celebrity it will be almost impossible for us to cruise without a drink package.

 

After some time off the boat I do have a couple of gripes:

 

11)    Café al Bacio: That 1^st Sunday morning I really wanted exceptional coffee. So, I Googled “the nearest Café al Bacio” the results were not good. The closest was in Key West a good 5-6 hour drive from Ft Lauderdale! Totally unacceptable. Did you know these can only be found on Celebrity cruises? That just doesn’t seem right. I just headed to the local mega chain coffee store. Which leads to my next issue

 

22)   When I got to the store, I ordered a simple doppio espresso. They stated that our sea-pass cards are not valid! Astonished I just paid cash. Come to find out that these cards are only good on Celebrity cruise ships. Huge Fail!

 

33)     When we got back from the mega coffee chain, our beds and rooms were not made. My towel was still on the floor in bathroom. Apparently, the room stewards stay on the ship. Is this a known issue?

 

Celebrity has some explaining to do. I’ll get the necessary answers on my next Celebrity cruise. Obviously, it can’t get here soon enough.

 

Let me know if you have any questions.

 

Qwksilver

 

When we got back from our last cruise my local bar wouldn't let me get drinks on my room pass either. I must have drunk too much on the ship😀

On 4/25/2019 at 12:01 AM, hvbaskey said:

I originally placed the Tracker in the thread initiated by CruisingChick on April 23, 2018.  However, the tracker gets lost amongst all the many questions/comments (understandably).  Thus, I have decided to create a single thread for tracking purposes only (filtering out everything else).  

The purpose of this thread is strictly for compiling information into a spreadsheet.   I will be running this tracker for ~ 6 months to see if any interesting trends come about and/or for general information purposes.  Will reevaluate its usefulness thereafter. 

IF you wish to participate, answer the following questions as best as you can and I will transfer the info to the Tracker. 
Please do not ask questions here (redirect your questions/comments to the CruisingChick thread of April 2018).

 

CELEBRITY MOVE UP TRACKER (effective April 19, 2019; but can back-fill data, if available)

• Ship:  Equinox
• Length of Cruise: 10 Nights
• Cruise Sail Date: 13th September 2019
• Date email offer received: 10/07/2019
• Captain’s Club Tier [“PREVIEW” = first Celebrity Cruise]: Elite
• Booked through Celebrity Direct OR via TA: Booked onboard then transferred to TA
• Current Cabin: 1610
• Bid?  Yes/No: No

If YES -  Bidding Details:

• Cabin Category: place winning category, if accepted (all category offers, can be mentioned in comments)
• Bid Offer:
• Notification Date:
• Accepted / Rejected

General Comments (offer details, etc.) Offer was to upgrade from Aqua A1 to either a Sky Suite @ £440.00pp, Celebrity Suite @ £560.00pp & Royal Suite @ £800.00pp

23 minutes ago, Suite Susie said:

Has anybody ever been offered the Move Up programme for UK bookings?  Cannot find out how we would participate in this. 

 

Has anybody from the UK ever been invited to bid?

 

Many thanks.

Suite Susie,

I got the below email in April announcing the launch of the MoveUp programme and enrolled. So far I have heard nothing in regards to our September cruise but that's maybe because we haven't quite reached the final payment day.

Alan Taylor

19 hours ago, mfs2k said:

 

Without a doubt.

Do you know the names of the people on the door to Blu? We have been on Equinox twice and are going again in September. Both times we were on there was a lovely girl on the door who even remembered us from the previous trip over a year before. We must have left a lasting impression. Good I hope. Hopefully she will still be on when we get there.

Alan

On 3/10/2019 at 11:14 PM, Maisyboo said:

Hello All 😀

We just booked our 2nd trip on the Equinox for December Yeah! . Another couple will be joining us  this time around .Booked in Aqua suites 1549&1543.

 What would be your favorite place , can't miss thing to do or just first time Celebrity advice for them ? 

Thanks in advance 

Hi Maisyboo,

You don't say what cruise you are doing but as an Aqua regular you have to go to the Persian Garden at least once. We always go there after walking about one of the ports. We tend to get back early and then go there as it is usually very quite. The sauna, steam room and then the rain shower aree brilliant. Obviously you will be eating in Blu which we think is brilliant and I am hoping that the same maitre de is on board as she was really good. Tuscan Grill is excellent and Le Petite Chef is entertaining but only worth doing once in a cruise if you can get a good deal.

Whatever you do have a great time and if you want to re-post this in October I will be able to give you an update on the changes they are making to the Equinox this year.

Alan

7 minutes ago, Huskydo said:

Hello All

We are new to cruising and I’m about to book a cruise to Alaska for May next year. We are looking at a veranda deluxe cabin, possibly 1A category on the Celebrity Eclipse.

 These cabins appear to be nearer the elevators, and I’m wondering if these may be a bit more noisy! Any advice please?

Im also eager not to book a cabin with a poor view,im a photography enthusiast so this is important for me:) 

We are doing the Inside Passage trip. 

To be honest I don’t know where to start! 😳

Many thanks.

 

Hi Huskydo,

From what i know of the Eclipse I would suggest a cabin on the 9th deck midships and you should have a good position for photography. What to do is check out the cabins available for your cruise and then check them against the S Class cabin information on the first page of the celebrity forum.

Alan

• Since we started cruising on Celebrity (Nov 2014) I have always taken my kilt. It is a proper dress kilt and weighs in at about 4kg (9lbs) and have never had any problem with luggage weight. I wear it on the chic nights because I like wearing it and it is a great way of getting to speak to people who probably wouldn't speak if it were not for the kilt. I will be taking it in September on our ABC cruise on board the Equinox.
• Alan

On 3/3/2019 at 12:49 PM, yorky said:

We cruise on the Equinox September and we can’t upgrade online. I think everyone has had to phone.

I have always upgraded to premium prior to boarding as it is paid and out of the way and I can get on board and hit any bar that we want. In my experience the upgrade on-line is not available until after the final payment has gone through.

We are also on the Equinox in September and I don't expect the upgrade offer to be available until mid July or early August.

Alan

19 hours ago, nasus2 said:

We are also on sept 13 abc - booked as package so we are staying 2 nights at pier 66. We fly into MIA and will book limo for transfer. Agreed restaurants seem a bit distanced - Hey ho it will be an amazing holiday

sue 

Hi Nasus 2,

Have you booked your flights yet? We have booked the BA flight from Heathrow at 13.55 (BA209) and get in to Miami at 18.15 local time. We got a great deal on the flights and managed to get 2 Business class seats for the price of one. So we should get there pretty refreshed or pretty merry on the free drink🥂 Have you registered for the meet and mingle on the Equinox forum for this cruise?

Alan

Smoking is usually restricted to deck 5 port side, pool area port side nearest to the aft, sunset bar port side and mast bar starboard side or at least it was when I was onboard and it was when I was on the Eclipse in November.

Deck 5 is usually the one that gets closed first if there is bad weather and on occasions I have seen it that the only place you could smoke was the pool area where it is sheltered to some degree.

Have a good cruise.

Alan

3 hours ago, Bruin Steve said:

I had been trying to make a restaurant reservation for my Anniversary during one of our upcoming Reflection cruises...and Murano, Tuscan and Lawn Club kept showing up...but not Le Petite Chef...I emailed once and called twice...and final, on the second call, someone told me it was a glitch in the system and they would fix it within a few days.  Finally, tonight, Le Petite Chef started showing up...

 

Now, perhaps my memory is playing tricks on me...but, we just got off Millennium about six weeks ago...and ate in both Tuscan and Qsine...and I seem to recall the prices being something like $60 pp for each...But, looking on the Cruise Planner for this one, it is showing Tuscan and Lawn Club for $45 and Murano for $50 (deeper discount for 1st night)...and Le Petite Chef is now showing for $55.  When I saw these prices for Tuscan, Lawn Club and Murano, I thought, perhaps, that these were lower due to Celebrity's 20% off sale...But, OTOH, perhaps this is just a new pricing structure...and Le Petite Chef is just higher priced than the others...Does anyone know for sure?

 

Also, being an Elite Plus Captains Club member, I am supposed to get a 15% off of specialty restaurant fees--but this shows up nowhere when booking on the Cruise Planner...Anyone know how I claim this?  Thanks...

Hi Steve,

We went to Le Petite Chef when we were on the Eclipse in November and the meal was excellent. The table show is entertaining but once you have seen it I don't know if I would rush back (Menu doesn't appear to change that much). What I would say is to wait until you are on the ship and then book but haggle with them. We ate in Blu most nights and are very happy with the menus in Blu but we were in the buffet for lunch one day and one of the staff from LPC was going about trying to fill up the restaurant for that night so my wife cheekily asked if we were getting two for one on the cover charge. She disappeared and came back about 5-10 minutes later and said if we went that night we would get 2 for 1 so being Aberdonians (My wife keeps every penny as a prisoner) off we went and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Sorry I can't help with Elite Plus as we have just qualified for Elite and wont be using that until September when we do the ABC cruise on Equinox.

Enjoy your cruise what ever you do.

Alan