Many questions for oct .med.cruise

[ISLAND DIVA]

Some questions ,we are sailing on Oct 23/11 Solstice in the Med.

1)Is there amenities such as shower gel and lotion provided in the cabin?

2)Does Celebrity cash Euro Travellers Cheques at the front desk?I know you can not cash them on shore.

3)Does Celebrity provide a shuttle service in ports such as Venice,Kotor and Dubrovnik?

4)What can we expect for weather in late October ,early November in ports--Barcelona,Dubrovnik,Kotor,Rome,Naples,Provence.

5)Do many passenger dress in costume for Halloween on board for the evening,is there a party?

6) Can you have a cheese tray instead of the canapes that are delivered to your cabin in the evening in the Concierge cat.cabin?

Sorry for so many questions,starting to get excited and planning more as the sailing date is getting closer,trying to plan packing etc.I appreciate any information.Thank you in advance.

[Hlitner]

Some questions ,we are sailing on Oct 23/11 Solstice in the Med.

1)Is there amenities such as shower gel and lotion provided in the cabin?

 

Yes. And the amenities are of a higher caliber if you book Concierge, Aqua or Suites.

 

2)Does Celebrity cash Euro Travellers Cheques at the front desk?I know you can not cash them on shore.

 

Yes. They will cash TCs in US dollars. IF you want Euros you will pay a premium for them to exchange currency (it is cheaper to use ATMs ashore.

 

3)Does Celebrity provide a shuttle service in ports such as Venice,Kotor and Dubrovnik?

 

In Dubrovnik they will have a shuttle bus to the old town (about 1.6 miles) but you will have to pay for that shuttle. It is cheaper to take the local bus or walk. In Venice they normally will have a shuttle boat running from the port to San Marco Square but there are other better options. Please take a look at the Italy port boards here on CC where we give lots of detailed advice.

 

Kotor - Haven't the foggiest.

 

4)What can we expect for weather in late October ,early November in ports-

 

This is a changing season so weather can really vary from beautiful to awful and everything between. You need to be prepared for some warm weather, autumn weather, and rain.

 

5)Do many passenger dress in costume for Halloween on board for the evening,is there a party?

 

Unlikely you will find many passengers celebrating Halloween.

 

6) Can you have a cheese tray instead of the canapes that are delivered to your cabin in the evening in the Concierge cat.cabin?

 

Good question for which I am also curious. But in a Concierge Cabin you can make the request from your Concierge and its hard to imagine they would say no.

 

Sorry for so many questions,starting to get excited and planning more as the sailing date is getting closer,trying to plan packing etc.I appreciate any information.Thank you in advance.

 

Bon Voyage

Hank

[Mr. Click]

We did the Med in June in Equinox in Concierge Class and after the first day we asked for a cheese plate and got it every day with a smile. There was a time request form left each day for canapes and I simply noted the time we wanted them delivered and that we prefered cheese and crackers. Every day we got cheese and crackers, some nuts and a bit of fresh fruit delivered with a smile

[BBsails]

Has Celebrity started differentiating cabin amenities such as bar soap, shampoo/conditioner, and shower gel in the past year or so? We've traveled in a 1B, a C2, and a suite in the past couple of years and those amenities have always been the same. We did get lip gloss in the suite, but the rest was the same brand, same selection.

[cruisestitch]

Some questions ,we are sailing on Oct 23/11 Solstice in the Med.

1)Is there amenities such as shower gel and lotion provided in the cabin?

 

Yes, you will have shampoo, conditioner, lotion, bar soap. Sometimes there is shower gel as well. Aqua Class have somewhat different bathroom amenities than the non Aqua-Class staterooms.

 

2)Does Celebrity cash Euro Travellers Cheques at the front desk?I know you can not cash them on shore.

 

Yes, you can cash both US dollar and Euro Travellers Checks at the front desk. If you ask for a conversion, like if you have dollar travellers checks and want Euros, there will be a fee. But if you have Euro Travellers checks and want Euros, there is no fee.

 

3)Does Celebrity provide a shuttle service in ports such as Venice,Kotor and Dubrovnik?

 

There are, in general, no free shuttles at any European ports. There will be shuttles, but there will be a fee to use them.

 

4)What can we expect for weather in late October ,early November in ports--Barcelona,Dubrovnik,Kotor,Rome,Naples,Provence.

 

Variable. As the advice goes, bring layers. And a raincoat and umbrella.

 

5)Do many passenger dress in costume for Halloween on board for the evening,is there a party?

 

Possibly there will be a party, but I wouldn't expect to see many costumes. Maybe a mask or hat, but most Europeans don't really "do" Hallowe'en the way Americans do, and anyone who had to fly to a cruise isn't likely to bring an elaborate costumes.

 

6) Can you have a cheese tray instead of the canapes that are delivered to your cabin in the evening in the Concierge cat.cabin?

 

Yes, in general if you ask your steward, a substitution can be made. There was a reference in a previous post to having a "Concierge". There is a concierge on board, and you'll find his/her desk in the lobby or atrium area, but that person is really there to help with things like restaurant reservations, private car service bookings and so forth. There isn't a concierge associated with Concierge Class. You will have a room steward, as all rooms do. Concierge Class does not have butlers the way suites do.

[helpthejuggler]

In Kotor you will not need a shuttle, the pier is just across the road from the gate to the city.

[Flying-Dragon]

We did the Med in June in Equinox in Concierge Class and after the first day we asked for a cheese plate and got it every day with a smile. There was a time request form left each day for canapes and I simply noted the time we wanted them delivered and that we prefered cheese and crackers. Every day we got cheese and crackers, some nuts and a bit of fresh fruit delivered with a smile

 

 

Interesting to hear that. On our May TA we were offered a shrimp cocktail by our steward in lieu of the canapes plate one day. On the B2B Eastern Med we asked for that and were told in no uncertain terms by our steward (a different one of course) that he had no authority to change from the canapes plate he was told to deliver. We won't ask for anything different again - they clearly have their orders.

[Lsimon]

Interesting to hear that. On our May TA we were offered a shrimp cocktail by our steward in lieu of the canapes plate one day. On the B2B Eastern Med we asked for that and were told in no uncertain terms by our steward (a different one of course) that he had no authority to change from the canapes plate he was told to deliver. We won't ask for anything different again - they clearly have their orders.

 

It is very common on these boards to hear of people asking for the cheese plate. Shrimp cocktail is less common. I believe you can order either of these any time from room service in any event - the only difference is if you want "automatic" daily delivery regardless of whether you are there or not.

 

If you had a cabin steward refuse this then likely it was either him or his manager (asst chief housekeeper) as it certainly hasn't been fleet wide Celebrity rules on this.

 

Personally, we don't want food being brought to the cabin automatically as we're not always there and don't want things spoiling. If we want a cheese plate or something else we order it from room service. You can do this from ANY cabin, not just a CC cabin or above.

[luvtocook]

I agree with the above poster, we ALWAYS ask for either a cheese & fruit plate or a shrimp plate and have gotten them every time with a big smile and it made no difference what category cabin we were in.

We sailed the Med last November (first 3 weeks) and we hit VERY cold & rainy temps in Venice, a little warmer but not much in Rome and warm (approx 80's) in 6 Greek isles and Croatia & Turkey, so it really depends, be prepared!!!

The amenities definitely are upgraded in Aqua and suite class cabins!

[TLCOhio]

As noted above, there are shuttle options, for a fee, through Celebrity that work in Venice and Dubrovnik. Kotor is tendered and drops your right near the old, walled city. No need for a shuttle there. You might check these two detailed postings for much more info, options, ideas and lots of visuals on Kotor and Dubrovnik.

 

Dubrovnik: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1439227

 

Kotor: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1439193

 

For Dubrovnik, we skipped the ship shuttle and just got a cab for the four of us in our group. It was only 50 euro for the one-hour "panoramic" tour that gave a great overview of the town and nearby, plus dropped us at the Pile Gate to see the main town. This was a much better value for us and gave us breath-taking views from near the tram station on the mountain top.

 

For Venice, don't miss the sail-in and spending some evening time in this great, historic town. At night, Venice is magical and less crowded than during the day. Below are a few samples of my visuals to get you excited about these great stops with Celebrity.

 

Check out this posting that I did with many, many pictures on Venice: Loving It & Why??!!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1278226&highlight=venice

 

Also, here's a good resource, Venice Tourism Office:

http://www.turismovenezia.it/venezia/eng/default.asp?lingua=en

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Recently back from a June 7-19 Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 36,717 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

 

Don’t miss the Solstice sail-in for Venice. This was our view from the top of the ship as we approached the historic center of Venice. On a beautiful day, as we enjoyed, this is so spectacular!!!:

 

 

 

This is a Venice parish church called Chiesa di San Moise on Campo San Moisè. It has an elaborate Baroque facade that is covered in designs that one travel book describes as having “scrumptious icing flourishes of carved-stone ornament”. This 1660’s facade is on a church site dating back to the 9th century and that honors Moses. At the right is the modern front of the five-star Bauer Hotel that is connected with an older palazzo fronting the Grand Canal.:

 

 

 

This high and wide view of Kotor shows the overall area, including the Bay of Kotor. It is one of the most indented parts of the Adriatic Sea. This bay is sometimes called the southern-most fjord in Europe. It is actually a submerged river canyon. Kotor has seen a significant increase in tourism, attracted by the Gulf’s natural beauty and the old town of Kotor that is a World Heritage Site.:

 

 

 

Kotor has a population of 13,500 and its city wall was built by the Republic of Venice. The Venetian influence remains predominant in the city's architecture. Here is a view of a portion of those walls and two different church domes. Kotor was settled during Ancient Roman times and has been fortified since the early Middle Ages. The city was part of the Venetian Republic 1420-1797, except for periods of Ottoman rule between 1538–1571 and 1657-1699. In the 1800’s, it was under the Habsburg Monarchy of Austria and then for time under the French Empire. After 1918, the city became a part of Yugoslavia. In 1979 major earthquake hit the Montenegrin coastal area and destroyed half of Kotor.:

 

 

 

We started with a local cab driver who gave us a “panoramic tour”, including crossing this unique bridge near the main cruise ship docking area. He called this bridge their “Golden Gate” like in San Francisco. It is nine years old. You can see the Solstice docked to the right side and other newer housing around this bay NW of the historic walled city.:

 

 

 

Then we drove up and up through narrow twisting roads to the high point overlooking Dubrovnik and near the cable car high station. From this point, we could also see part of Bosnia and and Montenegro. The “super star” view was down below with this angle of the harbor and walled city. Beautiful!!!: