LGBT Roll Call: Celebrity Silhouette T/A 12/01/12

[wxjcupo]

We (InPR and I) will be staying at the Waldorf Astoria Cavalieri for two days prior to embarkation to explore the sights on our own. For those not using a Celebrity, or other, transfer to the pier, we should look into hiring a van to take us there. Splitting the costs should make it more economical. Just a thought.

 

--Jeff

[moking34]

Bad news, we were told our original flight was getting in too late to get to the ship in time. Good news, now we're an extra day in Rome! Has anyone ever used airline points to book hotel? Had any issues with that?

[KiwiAtSea]

Only 34 weeks to go until the cruise...:p

 

How are everyones shore tour plans coming along?

[johhnnyt]

Bad news, we were told our original flight was getting in too late to get to the ship in time. Good news, now we're an extra day in Rome! Has anyone ever used airline points to book hotel? Had any issues with that?

 

Used points to pay for hotels in Brisbane, Auckland and Sydney on the Australia cruise in January. Only word of advice is book them early. Like the airlines, they "sell out" quickly on the points available rooms/flights early. I booked them 8 months in advance and hotel people (Hilton/Four Seasons) told me I was LUCKY that something was still available.

 

Only 34 weeks to go until the cruise...:p

 

How are everyones shore tour plans coming along?

Haven't really begun to look at them yet other than the pre cruise visit to Rome, and did book a Segway tour of Barcelona with the Roll Call group from Cruise Critic

Edited April 9, 2012 by johhnnyt

[amusea]

Just curious about Aquafest. We have a balcony cabin on hold with our regular Travel Agent for this cruise but just looked at the Aquafest site. Prices seem lower than most but in fine print is says that there is a $30. charge per booking and that if the group does not reach 50 persons the rates can be adjusted upward. Those terms make me uneasy. And our regular travel agent provides a very large OBC. Does anyone know how many are now in the Aquafest group for this cruise? I would appreciate it if anyone who has past experience with this group can provide information. We leave next week for Hawaii on the Celebrity Century and would like to make a decision about this cruise before we leave. Thanks.

[moking34]

Just curious about Aquafest. We have a balcony cabin on hold with our regular Travel Agent for this cruise but just looked at the Aquafest site. Prices seem lower than most but in fine print is says that there is a $30. charge per booking and that if the group does not reach 50 persons the rates can be adjusted upward. Those terms make me uneasy. And our regular travel agent provides a very large OBC. Does anyone know how many are now in the Aquafest group for this cruise? I would appreciate it if anyone who has past experience with this group can provide information. We leave next week for Hawaii on the Celebrity Century and would like to make a decision about this cruise before we leave. Thanks.

 

On the last conversation I had with the organizer, he had mentioned that he had close to 100 people at the time booked. As for the booking fee, nothing showed on our invoice from them, so assuming it hasn't been charged and won't be in the future. Have done an Aquafest group about 5 years ago, however it was an organized group with entertainment, so my understanding is that this will be a bit different as there is not any scheduled entertainers. It is nice knowing you have the option to partake in the group activities or doing your own thing. Plus saving the extra $$, compared to the going online rate isn't bad either!

[johhnnyt]

Just curious about Aquafest. We have a balcony cabin on hold with our regular Travel Agent for this cruise but just looked at the Aquafest site. Prices seem lower than most but in fine print is says that there is a $30. charge per booking and that if the group does not reach 50 persons the rates can be adjusted upward. Those terms make me uneasy. And our regular travel agent provides a very large OBC. Does anyone know how many are now in the Aquafest group for this cruise? I would appreciate it if anyone who has past experience with this group can provide information. We leave next week for Hawaii on the Celebrity Century and would like to make a decision about this cruise before we leave. Thanks.

 

I found the discount substantial over Celebrity/TA pricing for a C2 cabin (about $800), and $500 for an A2. The heavily discounted rates rates are only for the listed 6 classes though (11,8,2c,c2,a2) So if your travel agent is providing more than a $500 OBC, I would go with them if their pricing is better than Aquafest.

In regard to the terms, I asked the same question abiout disclaimer on rates, and Tom told me rates were locked in long ago by Celebrity, and even if two people went, they would still get the discounted advertised rates.

Really no idea how many in group. I know their advertised extras are

Private group shore excursions in selected Mediterranean ports-of-call

$50 per cabin onboard spending credit

Bottle of wine per stateroom

Private cocktail Party

Private group gatherings and socials

Aside from that not sure as this will be my first time with Aquafest, as mostly done Pied Piper and Atlantis in the past.

Have a great time on Century, we were on her in January, and its one of the few cruise ships that still has that ocean liner feel with all the rich warm woods and open decks.

My understanding was that the booking fee was waived if you were Captains Club or Elite or something like that (wasn't charged for it either)

Edited April 10, 2012 by johhnnyt

[moking34]

Used points to pay for hotels in Brisbane, Auckland and Sydney on the Australia cruise in January. Only word of advice is book them early. Like the airlines, they "sell out" quickly on the points available rooms/flights early. I booked them 8 months in advance and hotel people (Hilton/Four Seasons) told me I was LUCKY that something was still available.

 

Thanks for the info. Have been poking around Tripadvisor also and have found a few interesting hotels. Can't decide to use points or pay. I guess if the rooms available with points are gone, our decision will be made for us! LOL

[amusea]

On the last conversation I had with the organizer, he had mentioned that he had close to 100 people at the time booked. As for the booking fee, nothing showed on our invoice from them, so assuming it hasn't been charged and won't be in the future. Have done an Aquafest group about 5 years ago, however it was an organized group with entertainment, so my understanding is that this will be a bit different as there is not any scheduled entertainers. It is nice knowing you have the option to partake in the group activities or doing your own thing. Plus saving the extra $$, compared to the going online rate isn't bad either!

 

Wow. Hard to believe that there are almost 100 from Aquafest on this cruise and that there are so few of those commenting here. Anyhow, thanks for both messages. We usually do our own thing rather than partake in most group ventures but I think it is at least worth a call to Aquafest.

[KiwiAtSea]

Wow. Hard to believe that there are almost 100 from Aquafest on this cruise and that there are so few of those commenting here. Anyhow, thanks for both messages. We usually do our own thing rather than partake in most group ventures but I think it is at least worth a call to Aquafest.

 

You get the best of both worlds... you can go to the Aquafest events and you can come to the Cruise Critic Connections party as well :)

 

(OK, by 'party', you know i mean coffee and snacks. :rolleyes:)

 

I'm not with Aquafest, but should i take this to mean that the FOD gatherings will be swamped with men this cruise? They might need to hold it in a bigger venue than the 'Crush Bar' they held them at last time.

[moking34]

Wow. Hard to believe that there are almost 100 from Aquafest on this cruise and that there are so few of those commenting here. Anyhow, thanks for both messages. We usually do our own thing rather than partake in most group ventures but I think it is at least worth a call to Aquafest.

 

I'm fairly certain Tom had told me close to 100. I seem to remember he said he had 99 cabins set aside. Hopefully I'm remembering properly. I don't want to be thrown overboard if I'm wrong! :p

[johhnnyt]

You get the best of both worlds... you can go to the Aquafest events and you can come to the Cruise Critic Connections party as well :)

 

(OK, by 'party', you know i mean coffee and snacks. :rolleyes:)

 

I'm not with Aquafest, but should i take this to mean that the FOD gatherings will be swamped with men this cruise? They might need to hold it in a bigger venue than the 'Crush Bar' they held them at last time.

 

You really do the best of both worlds, you can go on your own, or be part of the group for any events you choose. Plus I've always liked that the groups always get tours of the bridge,backstage, etc.

Made some good friends over the years from both the Pied Piper and Atlantis tours and having a coordinator/host onboard really helps facilitate if any problems do arrive.

Plus the discounted rates, you can't beat them

[amusea]

I'm fairly certain Tom had told me close to 100. I seem to remember he said he had 99 cabins set aside. Hopefully I'm remembering properly. I don't want to be thrown overboard if I'm wrong! :p

 

Cabins "set aside" just means that he has a block for his group from Celebrity that he hopes to sell but he can return any cabins that are not sold. I hope that we can find a good venue for the FOD meetings. Last year on the B2B TA Solstice in Nov/Dec the first cruise held the meetings in Michael's Club which was comfortable, quiet and very conducive to conversation. The second cruise held the meetings in the Martini Bar which was crowded, very noisy and the blue light made everyone look ghostly so we skipped those meetings. You might have seen the comments on the main Celebrity board regarding complaining about the rap music (?) in the Martini Bar. Now Michael's Club is having a new look with the introduction of 50 kinds of beers which will probably make that room much more popular.

The Aquafest sounds great but our regular TA just came back with such a good price for the cabin we had on hold that we decided to stick with that agency. They offer group travel insurance from a good company at a very low uniform rate plus excellent OBC. However, we'll probably see most of you onboard, hopefully in a well-chosen location for FOD.

 

Jay in Tucson

[aaerobear]

We are flying Delta JFK to Rome on the 27th of November, staying in Rome for the 28th 29th and 30th.

[amusea]

We just booked today and looking forward to a fun cruise. Looks like we'll have a good crowd aboard. Arriving in Rome a couple of days early for some sight seeing. We don't have transfers to the port so any suggestions are welcome.

 

Tim & Dale

Denver, CO

 

Depending on where you are staying, the train can be the cheapest and fastest way to the port. Most of the trains from the main terminal - Roma Termini - are "regionale" trains which are old, uncomfortable and have very little space for luggage. However, a few times a day there is a "Frecciabianca" train which is faster and uses the cars that used to be standard for long distance travel. Now that Italy has high speed trains for their main routes they use these comfortable cars which have much more generous space for luggage for secondary routes. The second class fare is either 9 (if you use the online "mini" advance purchase system) or 14.50 euros one way. On Saturday the 28th of Nov. the Frecciabianca train from Roma to Genova is at 12:10 and arrives at Civitavecchia at 12:51. The walk to the entrance of the port is short and takes less than 10 minutes or you can take a cab. From the port entrance there are shuttle buses to the ships that are operated by the port facility.

 

Jay in Tucson

[amusea]

Sorry, in my previous post I meant the date to be Saturday, Dec. 1. However, Italy changes prices and times in December and June so this might mean there will be a delay before the Dec. 1 prices and schedules are available. You can buy mini tickets four months in advance but I think that by the middle of August you should be able to buy tickets online.

[njp70]

Counting the days.....

[Redcasey55]

Hi David and Larry,

 

Well I finally found this thread...and by accident. You 1st welcomed us back in July. I've been following the other thread for this trip and wondering if there was a gay one also. I did some catching up on the reading and I'm glad to see there are so many people here. Hi to all, Ray and I are so looking forward to this 1st TA and meeting everyone.

 

Dennis

[njp70]

Welcome to all the newcomers...

[daviddfld]

Hi David and Larry,

 

Well I finally found this thread...and by accident. You 1st welcomed us back in July. I've been following the other thread for this trip and wondering if there was a gay one also. I did some catching up on the reading and I'm glad to see there are so many people here. Hi to all, Ray and I are so looking forward to this 1st TA and meeting everyone.

 

Dennis

Hi Dennis & Ray ... welcome to the thread. When I get a burst of energy I'll try putting together a "roll call" listing all who have posted here ... unless someone else wants to step up to the task!

 

David

[DCParky]

Hi Dennis & Ray ... welcome to the thread. When I get a burst of energy I'll try putting together a "roll call" listing all who have posted here ... unless someone else wants to step up to the task!

 

David

 

David,

 

I took some time during lunch today and came up with a Roll Call for our cruise. I'm still trying to figure out how to best upload it (I'm still a bit of a novice at posting stuff to CruiseCritic). I've tried to mirror the Roll Call on the main page for our cruise with names, cabins, and dining selections. If folks want to pass along names (if they haven't already) and cabin and dining information that would be great! Hopefully, I can get past the technical issues tomorrow!

 

Don

[daviddfld]

David,

 

I took some time during lunch today and came up with a Roll Call for our cruise. I'm still trying to figure out how to best upload it (I'm still a bit of a novice at posting stuff to CruiseCritic). I've tried to mirror the Roll Call on the main page for our cruise with names, cabins, and dining selections. If folks want to pass along names (if they haven't already) and cabin and dining information that would be great! Hopefully, I can get past the technical issues tomorrow!

 

Don

That's GREAT Don!

 

Here's our info ...

David & Larry from Deerfield Beach, FL - stateroom 6133. We're sailing with friends Stephen & Keith from Pompano Beach, FL - stateroom 6129. We're all doing late dining.

 

David

[Compass Rose Monica]

David,

 

I took some time during lunch today and came up with a Roll Call for our cruise. I'm still trying to figure out how to best upload it (I'm still a bit of a novice at posting stuff to CruiseCritic). I've tried to mirror the Roll Call on the main page for our cruise with names, cabins, and dining selections. If folks want to pass along names (if they haven't already) and cabin and dining information that would be great! Hopefully, I can get past the technical issues tomorrow!

 

Don

 

 

Hi Don and friends,

Hope you don't mine me chiming in here. Don you stated about 'mirroring' the main roll call. If you created a table in a word document, I would be happy to add it to my web site and create a page for the guys here - as a separate and/or private page. I find with Jenny's listing you cannot sort by real names or by cabin numbers. You can do that with a word document. Plus it would be much easier to read.

Anyway, just thought I'd offer to help. :p

Monica

[Compass Rose Monica]

That's GREAT Don!

 

Here's our info ...

David & Larry from Deerfield Beach, FL - stateroom 6133. We're sailing with friends Stephen & Keith from Pompano Beach, FL - stateroom 6129. We're all doing late dining.

 

David

 

Hi David!

Please let me know if you and your group has discussed the Florence tour. I've gotten a couple other requests to be added to my tour.

Thanks!!

Monica

[DCParky]

Hi Don and friends,

 

Hope you don't mine me chiming in here. Don you stated about 'mirroring' the main roll call. If you created a table in a word document, I would be happy to add it to my web site and create a page for the guys here - as a separate and/or private page. I find with Jenny's listing you cannot sort by real names or by cabin numbers. You can do that with a word document. Plus it would be much easier to read.

 

Anyway, just thought I'd offer to help. :p

 

Monica

 

Hi Monica,

 

Thank's for the offer! I do have it in a Word Table and will forward it on to you in a couple of days. I'll give the guys a couple of days to chime in with additional information if they wish.

 

Feel free to chime in whenever you want!

 

Don