Embarkation and other newbie questions

We are on Solstice 30 March 2018 for our 1st ever cruise and we're getting super excited

I've just checked online and all our documents are ready with luggage tags.

They've added in it's my wife's birthday, so that's great - will they do something special in the MDR for dinner or will I have to ask the Maitre'D or waiter on the night?

I was under the impression we could board anytime after 11:30am, but the documents say deck 9 boards from 1:30 - 2:30pm

Do we have to wait until 1:30pm to board, or could we go there 12pm and be able to board... in other words are Celebrity pretty strict when it comes to boarding times?

it also says our room category is 1b - what does this mean?

and it says dining says CEL SLCT - but on our reservation online it says Open Dining seating time - anytime.. is there a difference? I don't want to be tied down to having dinner at a certain time every night

and can we bring wine on board if we purchase it at one of the ports - or do you have to bring it when you first board the ship?? the reason I'm asking is on our first port stop we are doing a winery tour and we don't want to buy a bottle if we're not allowed to bring it back on board.

if anyone has answers to the above questions that would be much appreciated :)

We are on Solstice 30 March 2018 for our 1st ever cruise and we're getting super excited

I've just checked online and all our documents are ready with luggage tags. Many of us have been having recent trouble ordering luggage tags on the Celebrity Web site. We've had more success calling Celebrity to order them.

They've added in it's my wife's birthday, so that's great - will they do something special in the MDR for dinner or will I have to ask the Maitre'D or waiter on the night? Statistically, there are over 5 passengers a day celebrating a birthday, every day, Then there are anniversaries and other types of celebrations every day. I would mention something to the Maitre'D

I was under the impression we could board anytime after 11:30am, but the documents say deck 9 boards from 1:30 - 2:30pm

Do we have to wait until 1:30pm to board, or could we go there 12pm and be able to board... in other words are Celebrity pretty strict when it comes to boarding times? They are flexible

 

it also says our room category is 1b - what does this mean?

and it says dining says CEL SLCT - but on our reservation online it says Open Dining seating time - anytime.. is there a difference? I don't want to be tied down to having dinner at a certain time every night. The same thing

 

and can we bring wine on board if we purchase it at one of the ports - or do you have to bring it when you first board the ship?? the reason I'm asking is on our first port stop we are doing a winery tour and we don't want to buy a bottle if we're not allowed to bring it back on board. Technically you can bring two bottles at port of embarkation, only

if anyone has answers to the above questions that would be much appreciated :)

Bon Voyage

We are on the same cruise with Muffinz, and the embarkation port is Sydney. The OPT is actually quite small (much smaller than almost any other cruise terminal we have used whether it be in Europe, North America or South America), so they are looking at an organized boarding process. The luggage drop (unless something has changed since I last saw the OPT in September 2016 is in a tent right beside the main entrance. If the embarkation employees are strict about the embarkation slots it will be no problem to drop off the luggage and then browse around the Rocks area.

Select dining is the Celebrity term for anytime dining.

thanks for the replies.... I actually thought the OPT in Sydney looked quite big - but I've only seen footage of it online and can't compare it with any other OPT's.

We've got the luggage tags so that's all good - I just have to work out how to fold them and staple them to the suitcases! I think I'll do that as we check out of the hotel the morning of the cruise.

I see from someone that did this cruise in January that they offer tours of the ship - hope they are doing that on this cruise... I'd like to be shown around the ship

thanks for the replies.... I actually thought the OPT in Sydney looked quite big - but I've only seen footage of it online and can't compare it with any other OPT's.

.....

Muffinz: Since there are a number of port authority offices, restaurant and an area used for entertainment venues (i.e., you could schedule an event such as a wedding reception) also in the OPT, the actual space available for check-in counters and seating is much smaller than a photo of the exterior suggests.

You can actually bring wine on in any port .. but they will take it from you and return it to your cabin on the last evening .. So drink then or take it home

The 2 bottles you bring on when you embark the first day are yours to drink . You are only charged a corkage fee if you take it to the dining room or other eating venue

 

it also says our room category is 1b - what does this mean?

 

:)

Your room category, 1B, indicates what type of cabin or suite you have (e.g Inside Cabin, Outside Cabin, Veranda Cabin, Concierge Class cabin, Aqua Class cabin, Sky Suite, etc etc). The cabin category code has specific pricing attached to it that is used for booking your cruise. "Cat" 1B is a standard cabin with a balcony. "Standard" means that it is not Concierge or Aqua Class.

Because it is used to drive pricing, the cabin categories often are subdivided further to recognize variations such as deck location, forward/midship/aft location, cabin size, balcony size, and even obstructed views.

Here is an interesting link that shows every cabin category on every Celebrity ship (including Edge) to give you a good overview of their classification system and some statistics to go along with it: 2017 Celebrity Cruises Staterooms by Category. It even includes unused cabin categories. On your ship, Solstice, there are 132 Cat 1B cabins like yours out of a total of 747 standard balcony cabins. These standard balcony cabins represent 52% of all the cabins on the ship!

David

We've got the luggage tags so that's all good - I just have to work out how to fold them and staple them to the suitcases! I think I'll do that as we check out of the hotel the morning of the cruise.

I purchased some clear plastic Cruise Luggage Tag Holders a couple years ago on Amazon. They are really great and you can just slip the luggage tags in and when done slip them out and dispose of them. Much stronger than the provided tags and last a long time.

I purchased some clear plastic Cruise Luggage Tag Holders a couple years ago on Amazon. They are really great and you can just slip the luggage tags in and when done slip them out and dispose of them. Much stronger than the provided tags and last a long time.

Muffinz,

that is a much better way. You can get them quickly and cheaply from Amazon and there are several choices available.

Don't fret about luggage tags and fancy holders....the porters at the pier can create them on the spot if necessary.

If you purchase wine at a port stop, you can bring it back to the ship and the official policy is that they will store it for you and return it the last night for packing before you disembark. More often than not, they don't bother and just let you take the wine bottles to your room...no way to tell what will happen in your specific case. We have cruised on celebrity well over 10 times and never had them ask to "hold" wine or liquor we purchased at ports. We just put it in the scanner and they haven't seemed to care.

You really can check in and board at any time. Celebrity is just trying to space out folks arriving to check in but it's a just a guideline. Arrive when it's convenient for you and you'll have no problems.

Sounds like all your questions got answered. You will love Celebrity!

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Bon Voyage

Just to piggy back...if you buy wine in a port of call (or other types of alcohol) they will hold it for you and return it on the evening of your last night.

They put staggered times for embarkation in writing in order to try to avoid huge crowds but I've never seen anyone turned away for trying to embark prior to the time printed in the documents. We always arrive at the earliest possible boarding time so as to make the most out of the first day.

I hope you have a wonderful time!

Christina

thanks for the replies

unfortunately we don't have amazon in New Zealand so if I ordered anything it will more than likely come from the USA... I'm not too worried about it though.

thanks for the info on the room categories - very interesting

...

 

Here is an interesting link that shows every cabin category on every Celebrity ship (including Edge) to give you a good overview of their classification system and some statistics to go along with it: 2017 Celebrity Cruises Staterooms by Category. It even includes unused cabin categories. ...

David

OP, apologies for hijacking your query thread, but I think you got what info you needed... David, thanks for that link! That sort of information just feeds the inner nerd in me!

Do you by any chance have a link to a site that explains the obscure codes X uses to describe perks etc in their Confirmation invoices?

Stan

We've had wine or liquor confiscated a few times when returning from port. It always reappears in our cabin on the last night. Probably an equal number of times, no one has cared that we're carrying wine onboard. You just never know. In any case, it's perfectly legal for you to bring it on board, you may just not see it again until the last night of the cruise. If you hand it over, make sure you get a receipt.

GottaKnowWhen:

You're welcome for that link.

No, I don't have the "obscure" invoice codes.

I do have this link that will keep your inner nerd busy for the next few days if you chase every branch: The Celebrity Commitment

It is PACKED with information.

thanks for the replies

thanks for the info on the room categories - very interesting

You are most welcome. I hope that clarifies things for you.

It seems that they are more aggressive about removing wine/booze when there is more of a younger/party crowd, like at spring break. I don't think it's actually about making a profit, but more about keeping excess booze out of the hands of binge drinkers. On the shorter 3-4 day cruises, this is a big problem.

The cruise lines prefer if they can have their bartender cut people off before they get "fall off the ship" drunk.

I'm also on deck 9 in a 1B and my cruise docs say I can board anywhere from 11:30 to 5pm. I normally get to the pier around 11am. That gets me on the ship pretty quick before the noon crush at check in. I like to go to the buffet early, grab some grub before the place turns into a zoo. Then go explore/drink. Finally ending up at the Sunset bar for sail away.

If you tell them about the birthday they will usually give you a little chocolate cake that says happy birthday. We are "kinda" doing this cruise as our 30th anniversary present to each other. We will do Vegas for our actual anniversary;p

Wine, technically they only allow you 2 bottles on embarkation, others should be taken and returned the last night. When we did our NZ/AUS cruise a few years ago (before the beverage perk) we brought 2 bottles on at nearly every stop and they didn't take any of them away. So you never know. We are also doing a winery excursion in Newcastle and might buy a bottle although I doubt it since the wineries are usually crazy overpriced. And with the bevy package it really doesn't make sense to hassle with bringing wine. We have been quite happy with the ships wine (and we drink a lot of wine at home).

So I figured I would read my cruise docs a little since there is as difference in what Muffin's says and what mine says. I did find they had boarding times listed in a general chart. But on my actual booking info page mine is listed as 11:30-5pm. I also read that if you are Elite plus or have flights thru celebrity (which we do) you are welcome to check in anytime you like. Since they don't actually look at your cruise docs at the pier I don't see how they would ever know if you used celebrity air or not. They typically only want to see your ExpressPass and passports.