The "new" Celebrity Secrets thread

[Sloindown]

On Celebrity you put your sea-pass card in the slots only to earn points that are awarded in proportion to the amount you wager and the number of spins. You then trade in your accumulated points for key chains, t-shirts,specialty restaurant dinners etc. Your card will get you cash from the cashier that is charged to your ship account at a 5% surcharge.

[CruisingGoddess]

On Celebrity you put your sea-pass card in the slots only to earn points that are awarded in proportion to the amount you wager and the number of spins. You then trade in your accumulated points for key chains, t-shirts,specialty restaurant dinners etc. Your card will get you cash from the cashier that is charged to your ship account at a 5% surcharge.

 

Thanks for explaining! I guess it works differently then. Do ships generally have ATM's onboard? (I'm not concerned with the ATM fee since my bank reimburses fees.) I'm sailing the Millennium. Thanks!

 

By the way, saw your travel map and I'm also on VirtualTourist. Sending you a friend request! :)

 

Steak Diane is a dish consisting of a pan-fried filet mignon with a sauce made from the seasoned pan juices. It is often flambéed at the table in restaurants.

 

Sounds like it's right up DH's alley! Thanks!

[Mermen]

Hi Rebecca,

 

Yes there is an ATM on board the Millie, you will find it on Deck 3, across from the Front Desk / Pursur's location.

 

Wonderful tips everyone!

 

Another one about the ice cream...on S-class, there is a soft serve machine located in the Aqua Spa Cafe. They generally turn it on in the early afternoon and is in operation until around 4 PM or so. They have cones and bowls and pretty basic vanilla or chocolate alternate.

[CruisingGoddess]

Hi Rebecca,

 

Yes there is an ATM on board the Millie, you will find it on Deck 3, across from the Front Desk / Pursur's location.

 

Thanks!

[ghstudio]

On Celebrity you put your sea-pass card in the slots only to earn points that are awarded in proportion to the amount you wager and the number of spins. You then trade in your accumulated points for key chains, t-shirts,specialty restaurant dinners etc. Your card will get you cash from the cashier that is charged to your ship account at a 5% surcharge.

 

This is incorrect information. You can cash in your winnings at the cashier and get cash in your hand for no charge.

 

Additionally, if you do want to take cash from your on board account, you can also do that at the cashier and in that case, they will charge 5%.

 

One has nothing at all to do with the other.

[Ando]

 

Another one about the ice cream...on S-class, there is a soft serve machine located in the Aqua Spa Cafe. They generally turn it on in the early afternoon and is in operation until around 4 PM or so. They have cones and bowls and pretty basic vanilla or chocolate alternate.

 

Soft serve ice cream in the Aqua Spa area :eek: Really? I'm thinking platters of fresh fruit would be more appropriate.

But hey...i'll just have to eat ice cream after my workout.....lol

[Lois R]

Soft serve ice cream in the Aqua Spa area :eek: Really? I'm thinking platters of fresh fruit would be more appropriate.

But hey...i'll just have to eat ice cream after my workout.....lol

 

It is frozen yogart if I am not mistaken.:confused:....but they do have wonderful

marinated fruits......peaches, pears, apples.....they are in large

glass cannisters..each in a different marinade.....I believe the pears

are in a honey/vanilla......YUMMY:D

[chamima]

I'm new to X and sailing Millie in August. Just finished reading all 17 pages and found some wonderful tips!! I've got a couple of questions...

 

1. What is Steak Diane?

 

2. Regarding the 5% charge for getting cash from the casino...On Princess, you could put your room key in the slot machine and transfer money to your "slot bank". After you play (or don't), you can cash out your "slot bank" in to cash without charge. Does this work on X ships?

 

Thanks for all the great tips!

 

 

I also have a Princess related question. On Princess we can "gift" ourselves cash pre cruise (it's charged to our designated charge card) and then pick it up from the Purser on the cruise without any extra charge, thereby having cash for excursions, etc. without having to carry that cash with us on the trip to the ship.

Can we do this on Celebrity?

[Mermen]

Soft serve ice cream in the Aqua Spa area :eek: Really? I'm thinking platters of fresh fruit would be more appropriate.

But hey...i'll just have to eat ice cream after my workout.....lol

 

 

Sorry Ando, it IS frozen yogurt - my mistake. Honestly does not taste like Fro Yo though...and certainly isn't low sugar / low carb / low fat. At least the cones are tiny, so unless you're double-fisting it, will have a small bite. ;)

[Sloindown]

This is incorrect information. You can cash in your winnings at the cashier and get cash in your hand for no charge.

 

Additionally, if you do want to take cash from your on board account, you can also do that at the cashier and in that case, they will charge 5%.

 

One has nothing at all to do with the other.

 

Please read the post before you contradict it. I made no mention of cashing in ones winnings.:eek:

[Mindymandy]

are you allowed to bring on your own wine? I seem to recall bringing 2 bottles in my carryon.

[sharpasice]

I was on one cruise where they didn't give the bonus minutes but that was due to a change in personnel and the new manager did not have a clue what he should do....in fact he didn't even show up the first day. Other than that bad experience, I have always received bonus minutes if I signed up on the day we embarked.

 

 

Where do you sign up for all these offers..ie: restaurant pkgs, internet pkgs? At the service desk or do you need to go to the particular area, such as the internet area or to the restaurant? Also is there a discount on drink pkgs on the first day? And where would you sign up for that? Thanks.

[LynnObie]

are you allowed to bring on your own wine? I seem to recall bringing 2 bottles in my carryon.

Yes, Celebrity allows 2 bottles to be brought on board.

[dfwtraveler]

I don't know if this is helpful, but I eliminated all the comments and quotes and came up with a list.

 

If anyone has a problem with what I did, I will delete!

 

OP, perhaps in your original post you could put this in and we can keep track of all of these great tips.

 

1)On most cruises, if you would like to eat at a specialty restaurant on the first night, ask when you get on board....because they generally offer a discount if you eat there on the first night.

 

2) If you pre-purchase meals at the specialty restaurants and they offer a discounted package on-board, you can take the discounted package and they will (if you tell them) adjust what you paid with a credit to your on-board account

 

3) Sign up for internet the day of departure on the ship. In most cases, they will give you an additional 20% minutes on any package bought on the first day. (make sure you ask)

 

4) For those that are Jewish travelling at Passover, ask guest relations if there will be a special service/meal on your cruise (there will be, but they may not know about it). It is often never announced in the dailies....you just have to ask.

They don't always put Friday night services in the dailies, either. Look on the bulletin board which is generally somewhere near the guest relations area. There are always Friday night services, though they are mostly do-it-yourself led by one of the braver passengers.

 

The treats in the glass case at Cafe Al Bacio are complimentary and they can be packaged to go. The mini-sandwiches, which are available mid-day make a great appetizer to go with pre-dinner wine/cocktails on the veranda. Just keep them cold in your room fridge. And the desserts are delicious whenever!!

 

Every Celeb cruise we have taken the Friday night Sabbath Service has been in the Daily sheet, its always at 5.30pm and Kosher wine, Books, Challah (bread) and Kippot (head covering for men) is supplied and yes its a DIY service.

 

1)The "refrigerators" in your rooms are not "refrigerators", they are coolers. Don't expect things to get ice cold in them. This is by design.

 

2)Conceirge and above passengers who receive a bottle of bubbly (I'll call it bubbly instead of champagne because it isn't champagne) and prefer wine instead have two options:

 

a) ask your room steward/butler if they can exchange it for the house red or white wine (generally works for us if the request is accompanied by a $5 bill) but officially they don't do this.

 

b) take the bottle to dinner with you and ask the somelier to credit you towards a bottle of wine.

 

3) If you are concierge of above, you can ask that instead of the afternoon canapes, you get cheese or shrimp cocktail. Note: they will only deliver the canapes if you are in your cabin...frankly, it's no loss if you miss them, but that's just my opinion

 

4) yes, celebrity provides binoculars in concierge and above cabins, however if you actually want to see anything, bring your own.

 

5) solstice class ships have two US plugs and one European plug on the desk.

 

6) solstice class ships have night light function built into the bathroom lighting...M-class don't so if you want a night light, bring one.

 

7) do not assume that just because you locked your cabin door, no one can come in. The room steward's key overrides the inside latch. Use the do not disturb sign.

 

8) you can withdraw cash (US dollars) in the casino and it will be charged to your on-board account. There is a charge of 5% to do this. If you have unused OBC's, then you care about this one.

 

9) Pay attention to the drink specials on the daily sheet.

 

10) No, if you will be elite at the end of your cruise, you can not get credit early....many have tried. If you are B2B and will become elite after your first cruise, see the captain's club host/hostess and they will arrange for you to be elite on the second cruise.

 

11) If you are elite, you are welcome to drink as much as you want at the function, but you may not take drinks out of the room (to your cabin, to dinner, to anywhere). This applies to both breakfast and the cocktail hours.

 

12) You can ask for smaller portions at QSINE and/or remember that you do not have to finish everything served before they give you another. Yes, it is enjoyable for 2 people although many seem to feel it's better with large groups.

 

13) At breakfast and lunch buffets, walk around before you dive in....some things are sort of hidden and you won't see them if you immediately stop for the first thing you see.

 

14) If you are on any sort of special diet, go to the place where they are handling dinner time changes and remind them (or tell them) of your restrictions.

 

15) If you ask, they have anchovies for caesar salads...if you don't ask, you won't get any.

 

We asked to have cheese brought rather than canapés and it was always delivered whether or not we were in our cabin.

When the Butler comes around with the tea cart, he will leave you little sandwiches and cakes also if you wish. He has all sorts of goodies - fresh fruit, too.

We did a B2B last year and on the first cruise it was combined, but on the second we were told that it was not possible. (re. Internet minutes)

 

 

The cheese plate sometimes comes with fruit and sometimes crackers or both.

Usually the cheese plates are very cold and we have to wait until the cheese comes up to edible temp. I would think that having it delivered earlier would be a benefit. Then it would be at room temp when you wanted it. Whenever we've ordered a cheese plate we asked for wrapped crackers.

Sometimes we found the crackers were a bit limp by the time we got to the cheese plate so we started picking up breadsticks from Cellarmasters on the way back to our cabin. Along with a glass of wine to go with the cheese, of course.

The treats at Cafe Al Bacio are complimentary, even if you do not order a beverage.

We prefer to order cheese or fruit plates from room service whenever we feel like having them instead of getting them delivered automatically at tea time each day.

 

That way they don't sit around getting limp or soggy the way they do if they are delivered when we are not there, and we can have different snacks on different days, as the mood strikes us.

 

If we want snacks at tea time, we like to go up to the afternoon tea area at the buffet because they have a much larger variety from which to choose than what is brought around on the carts.

 

Besides, we often get ice cream in the afternoon when we are up there too.

Sometimes we just feel like having pizza instead of the tea time snacks.

 

We kind of like to look over all the options on display first before deciding and try to rationalize away some of those extra calories by taking the stairs.

On our last Celebrity cruise, we asked our butler not to leave the canapés if we weren't in the room at tea time - unless there was just something we had to try. He was very good about letting us know what was good and what wasn't so good.

 

If you like pancakes, have him bring you some for breakfast. Better than standing in the line waiting. If they are not hot, complain. Try eggs Benedict in the cabin. Are they hot? Ask him to clean your shoes if they get dirty. Use your butler. Dial that phone number.

 

They used to have cheese plates with a larger selection of cheeses but there is a cheese plate available from room service that you can order whenever you are ready for it. No need to save one from the afternoon. It's the same cheese plate.

 

 

Medical Information

 

We usually freeze a block of "blue ice" to carry the insulin in while we fly to our departure port. I put a label held with clear packing tape on the blue ice with our cabin number and name and ask the cabin steward to put it in their freezer and return it before we debark. That way we have something to put in the insulated bag to keep the medicine cold on the way home.

 

If the diabetic is on a pump, as my DH is, or uses a pen, they will give you a smaller sharps container to use for finger sticks. If you don't need to dispose of syringes, there's no sense having that big old red bucket taking up space in the cabin.

 

I've just purchased a special insulin carrier from Magellan's that is supposed to be reusable and activates with cold water. I'm going to give it a try before we leave for San Diego. If it saves us having to explain the block of blue ice to TSA every time, it's worth it.

My wife's insulin stayed fine in the fridge on our Solstice cruise. We always carry a fridge thermometer with us. Once, the hotel fridge was set so cold, her insulin froze. What a nightmare to get it replaced. For that reason, we do not keep her active vial in the fridge. We bought a cool sleeve that keeps it fine for several days. The coolant pack is water activated, does not need to be chilled prior to use.

My wife is on an insulin pump also. We purchased that water activated carrier. It is important to note that it is not designed to carry unopened vials. Those must be refrigerated. Therefore, we use the blue ice carrier for the unopened vials, and the Magellan sleeve for the "in use" vial. We always carry a fridge thermometer. In a hotel last year, the insulin froze, destroying it.

 

We utilize the Animas vacation loaner pump. Would hate to be at sea and suffer pump failure. We also carry a back up meter with back up test strips, spare parts for the pump and twice as many infusion sets as we think we need. Our netbook has the program to upload pump settins as necessary. We also carry a Glucagon emergency injection kit. ketone test strips, her Dexcom supplies with additional sensors, and a small sharps container. We also carry prescriptions if we need to purchase insulin

 

Airlines will et you have an additional carry on if it exclusively holds medical supplies. They always pull it for an inspection. Please ask them to wear fresh gloves when examining the contents.

The sleeves are not engineered to keep the unopened vials at the required cooler temperature than what is acceptable for open ones.. They can keep them cooler than summer air, but not like being in a refrigerator. We bought one, thinking the same thing as you. However, when we first used it, the insert had a disclaimer in it. We choose not to use it for the unopened vials. Not worth the risk.

That was great reading! This will be our 1st celebrity cruise. Only sailed once before so I'm still learning all the inside details! Now if I could only nail down my port excursions, I will be all set.

[Mermen]

Where do you sign up for all these offers..ie: restaurant pkgs, internet pkgs? At the service desk or do you need to go to the particular area, such as the internet area or to the restaurant? Also is there a discount on drink pkgs on the first day? And where would you sign up for that? Thanks.

 

Typically the laundry / dry cleaning / Internet packages are tied to the Captains Club, so you would want to enroll. When you enter your stateroom, there will be an evelope for you and your traveling companion with those specials in there: discounted pictures, discounted drink special, etc. These are coupons.

 

If you are not a Captain's Club member, head down to the iLounge to check out their packages.

 

Generally on embarkation day there will be an employee in front of the specialty restaurants or MDR signing guests up for dinner reservations. You can ask them. Any of the specialty restaurants should be able to assist you if you wish to purchase the dine or wine / dine package.

[HeatherC430]

I've been reading through all 17 pages of this post & my only question is...

 

Are there OREO's at the ice cream bar toppings? lol

[CruisingGoddess]

Are there OREO's at the ice cream bar toppings? lol

 

*like* ;)

[newsier]

I've been reading through all 17 pages of this post & my only question is...

 

Are there OREO's at the ice cream bar toppings? lol

 

*like* ;)

 

"Ditto"

 

g

[Ando]

Sorry Ando, it IS frozen yogurt - my mistake. Honestly does not taste like Fro Yo though...and certainly isn't low sugar / low carb / low fat. At least the cones are tiny, so unless you're double-fisting it, will have a small bite. ;)

 

Thanks - sounds Perfect :D

[chamima]

I also have a Princess related question. On Princess we can "gift" ourselves cash pre cruise (it's charged to our designated charge card) and then pick it up from the Purser on the cruise without any extra charge, thereby having cash for excursions, etc. without having to carry that cash with us on the trip to the ship.

Can we do this on Celebrity?

 

 

Just thought of another question.

Are there chocolates on the pillow at night? (I know it's a little thing but I look forward to it. )

[mandream]

Just thought of another question.

Are there chocolates on the pillow at night? (I know it's a little thing but I look forward to it. )

Yes, and while some people really like them, personally I don't like them nearly as much as the old Cova Cafe chocolates they used to leave.

 

Mike

[May B]

Mr. B. and I save every last chocolate (after all, we did just have dessert, plus ice cream earlier in the day) and bring them all home.

 

It's almost a contest to see who can have one left when the other person's are all gone.

 

Btw, you can bring a bottle of your own wine to dinner, but the corkage fee is $25.

[sswright]

Mr. B. and I save every last chocolate (after all, we did just have dessert, plus ice cream earlier in the day) and bring them all home.

 

It's almost a contest to see who can have one left when the other person's are all gone.

 

Btw, you can bring a bottle of your own wine to dinner, but the corkage fee is $25.

 

 

Oh now that is cute. Mr Wright likes to eat his chocolate while I hoard mine and then enjoy them sparingly. He insists I should share with him.

[LynnObie]

Mr. B. and I save every last chocolate (after all, we did just have dessert, plus ice cream earlier in the day) and bring them all home.......

Hey May, I thought we were the only ones to do this!.:D..Still have a few left from our last cruise.... have been trying to lose a few pounds or they would've been history long ago!!.:eek:

[telecomgirl111]

Where do you sign up for all these offers..ie: restaurant pkgs, internet pkgs? At the service desk or do you need to go to the particular area, such as the internet area or to the restaurant? Also is there a discount on drink pkgs on the first day? And where would you sign up for that? Thanks.

 

Celebrity is actually running a special on the drink packages right now. 10% off. I believe this does not include the wine packages. You have to purchase the package before June 15th. Check Celebrity's website for details!