Newbie here needs all kinds of help!

[middlehaitch]

Oh my you are really going to do it. Hooray.

Glad you got directions to the roll call sorted out they can be fun and really help with the anticipation...as though you will need it! Seriously, roll calls are great ice breakers and good for meeting people to do private tours with etc.

You have asked about booking tours hosted by Celebrity, and been warned off them.

The honest trouth is they have their place.

If I was doing Rome for the first time from a cruise ship I would be very tempted to take the Celebrity tour. The port is a long way from Rome proper and the roads are quite congested. Unless you know exactly what you want to see, get a reputable tour company or taxi, and are a very good time keeper, a first time in Rome can be ruined by the worry of getting back to the ship in time. It hasn't happened to me but have known quite a few who almost missed the ship.

On the other hand Ephasus is a walk off the ship and hire a 'cab with tour guide' type port. There is usually a short tour around the countryside pointing out places of intrest followed by a walking tour of the historic city, be sure to pay the small extra fee to see the terraced houses that are being excavated. It would probably be less expensive if you could share with another couple.

For Naples, again a taxi is easy to get. One of the best thing you can do (if you have never been) is have them take you to Pompii, leave you to tour it on your own with a pre arranged pickup time then do a drive down to Sorrento and drink some Limoncello. The drive down the coast is wonderful so if all the old ruins are starting to blur just have a taxi take you down towards the Amalfi coast.

Mykanos and Athens we also just got of the ship and found a taxi. Most taxis quote a rate and you can haggle a bit or check out what another will offer you.

To sum it all up; there is nothing wrong with Celebrity tours but you sound as though you are confident in Europe so small pre arranged tours or independant taxi rides would probably suite you more.

The roll call will probably help as well as Trip Advisor.

Sorry that I am so chatty, I am just happy for you.

Cheers, h.

Take good walking sandals.

[Katzpur]

You have asked about booking tours hosted by Celebrity, and been warned off them.

The honest trouth is they have their place.

Actually, the individual who posted that "warning" wasn't referring to Celebrity cruises in particular, but to cruise ship tours in general. He didn't even say why to avoid them.

If I was doing Rome for the first time from a cruise ship I would be very tempted to take the Celebrity tour. The port is a long way from Rome proper and the roads are quite congested. Unless you know exactly what you want to see, get a reputable tour company or taxi, and are a very good time keeper, a first time in Rome can be ruined by the worry of getting back to the ship in time. It hasn't happened to me but have known quite a few who almost missed the ship.

We have been to Rome before, although it was many years ago. I know people are going to think we're crazy, but it is way, way down on our list of favorite European cities. I loved St. Peters and the Sistine Chapel, but aside from those two things, Rome really didn't do all that much for me. (Florence, on the other hand, and Venice... Don't even get me started about how much I love Venice. ;))

 

A friend of mine just got back from Europe (not on a cruise) and did a Segway tour of Rome. She said it was the highlight of her trip. I looked into these and found this Antique Appian Segway Tour, that's a Sunday-only thing "when the roads are closed to traffic" that looks fun. We'd probably have to miss the Vatican City entirely, but it would, at least, be something pretty unusual. It runs from 10:30 to 3:00. Our ship arrives in Civitavecchia at 7:00 A.M. and departs at 7:00 P.M., so I'm thinking the Segway tour would be workable. The last thing on earth I want, though, is to miss the boat!!!!

 

To sum it all up; there is nothing wrong with Celebrity tours but you sound as though you are confident in Europe so small pre arranged tours or independant taxi rides would probably suite you more.

You know, I think the main thing I object to with any tours are that so often there are just so many people on the tour that it's hard to hear the tour guide and you just feel as if you're being "herded" everywhere. I'm not so confident that I'd want to take off entirely on my own in most of the ports. I just would like to be sure that the number of people on them is not excessive.

 

Sorry that I am so chatty, I am just happy for you.

Are you kidding? You've been the most helpful poster I've talked to so far. Keep those chatty comments coming! Edited December 1, 2013 by Katzpur

[gordito]

Thank you all so much. All of your comments have been extremely helpful. I've started a similar thread on another forum I visit regularly and am comparing answers. So far, I'm feeling best about Celebrity and HAL, although a couple of comments have left me with minor concerns. One person said that Celebrity passengers tend to be a bit snooty; she also said, though, that in their defense, they are just extremely loyal to Celebrity and can't imagine anyone sailing with any other line. Have those of you who've sailed Celebrity found that to be a problem? I just can't imagine sitting down to dinner every night with people who pretended I was invisible, if you know what I mean.

 

HAL was said by some to have a reputation for being a tad "old fogey." While I'd rather have that than the other extreme, I don't want to feel like I'm on a floating nursing home, either.

 

One person on the other forum described NCL as "cheap and mediocre." Someone else said that was absolutely not the case.

 

Has anyone sailed with Royal Carribean? That was another option mentioned.

 

I also appreciate the mention of Oceania, but would appreciate a little more detailed information about it -- particularly regarding the clientele. The more I'm thinking about this, the more important it is to me that we basically "fit in." I know it's just a trip and we'll never see these people again, so maybe that shouldn't matter all that much. I just keep going back to my experience with Carnival and it's something I want to avoid in the future.

 

Any further comments would be much appreciated, and I thank you all again for being so helpful so far.

 

After many years of cruising, and a long hiatus do to serious health problems we came back to Royal Caribbean out of Baltimore -- the only accessible option for me -- and I can say the experience was just as your description said you wanted ... suggest trying RCI in the West coast and down South, they have several options. Good luck!!!

Herb :confused:

[Plantcrone]

Hi Katzpur..I'm in your relative age group and going on my first cruise in a week ..Flying into FLL then doing the Caribbean.

 

It was mentioned, correctly, that seasons are opposite in the central american and caribbean area. I usually go to Mexico or Costa Rica in February because I'm sick of winter and want sun. You'll be heading to the area in 'early fall' aka 'The Green Season' which might mean rain, rain and more rain. You might want to rethink your timeline or destination.

 

We booked this Santa at Sea cruise as a family holiday present and during school vacation for my grand daughter..I believe if you avoid going during school vacation times you'll not be in with the party crowd. My daughter, who is 38, cruises HAL and says I'll feel comfortable as there will be lots of seniors, but there will also be families and youngsters..a nice mix of generations.

 

I hope HAL's not an 'old Fogey line' as is often mentioned but is a nice mix of ages.

[I_r_a]

Hi PC,

 

>I hope HAL's not an 'old Fogey line' as is often mentioned but is a nice mix of ages. <

 

We found it to be so when we sailed on the Prinsendam a couple of years ago.

 

I don't recall anyone under 14.

 

Ira

[Katzpur]

Another few questions...

 

We're booked on Celebrity's Eclipse for a Mediterranean Cruise in May, and I'm getting so excited!

 

1. Does anybody have any idea at all how the cruise line goes about determining the seating assignments in the dining room? And how many people are there to a table? Just curious.

 

2. The Eclipse is a pretty good sized ship. Passenger capacity is 2850. If the arrival time in a port is 7:00 A.M., how long is it going to take to disembark? I would hate to miss a scheduled tour or excursion because it has taken two hours for everyone on board the ship to disembark. Any suggestions on how to best utilize our time in disembarking and embarking?

 

3. So I realize that the cost of meals in the main dining room is included with the cruise cost, but what about meals in the other restaurants on board the ship? Does the cost of your cruise cover meals in the other restaurants or not?

 

4. The the price we paid for our cruise was said to include the standard gratuities. But are there any other gratuities we would be expected to pay that would not be included in the cost?

[middlehaitch]

Oh I am so glad you have chosen Celebrity. We are on Eclipse 22 March this year!

I will answer some of your questions when I am not hunting and pecking on my I phone.

Cheers, h.

 

 

Sent from my little machine that knows way too much about me.

[middlehaitch]

Hi Katzpur,

As I said, I am glad you are doing The Celebrity Eclipse Caribbean, you will love it. Wish you were on our cruise we have such a lively roll call (22 March14)

I can give you answers to most of your questions but first:

Have you joined the roll call?

here is the link just search for your date:

Find Your Celebrity Eclipse Roll Call

They are great and will introduce you to your fellow cruisers. you can post a little or a lot. I post a lot as it gets me in touch with the people I am sailing with.

You can also sign up for the Connections Party. Here you meet all the folk you have been reading about and talking to on the roll call.

Here is the link: Register to attend a Connections Party ( you need your reservation number on hand).

These two above really help in getting to know people and get a feel for the cruise. Once on board you all socialise with each other as much or as little as you want. So don't worry about not liking people once you meet them in person.

 

Now for your questions.

Seating assignments in the Main Dining Room (MDR).

When you booked you were asked for your dining preference. this determines the time you eat and your prefered table size.

We always eat late and ask for a table of 8+ so the 2 of us can socialise over dinner. If by chance, after the first night your table isn't working for you, you can ask the maitre d to move you. We had to once when we were sat with 1 other couple, instead of 3or 4, and they didn't talk to us. We were moved the next night to a table of 10 hilarious people and we ended shutting the dining room every night then going on to the bar.

As to where in the dining room you are sat it is completely arbitrary (so they say). Some positions are thought better than others but I don't have any preferences. You can, mid afternoon on embarkation day, go to the dining room and check out where you are, and if you really really don't like it, hunt down the maitred and see if he will move you before dinner.

That ( above) is a tale for set dining; below is Select dining.

A section of the dining room is set aside for Select. You can approach Select dining a number of different ways; you can turn up at any time and be seated ad hoc, or you can ask for a table of a particular size, you may also book ahead for specific times and table sizes, and lastly, you can decide you want to dine at 7:30 every night at a particular table and request it for the rest of the cruise (7-7:30 are the busiest). They try to fulfill every request but sometimes a compromise has to be made.

 

I have to go to my aquafit class now so will continue later,

Cheers, h.

[Katzpur]

As I said, I am glad you are doing The Celebrity Eclipse Caribbean, you will love it.

Actually, it's the Equinox and it's the Mediterranean, but I'm sure we'll love it either way. :D

 

I can give you answers to most of your questions but first:

Have you joined the roll call?

Yes, I did that first thing!

Now for your questions.

Seating assignments in the Main Dining Room (MDR).

When you booked you were asked for your dining preference. this determines the time you eat and your prefered table size.

We always eat late and ask for a table of 8+ so the 2 of us can socialise over dinner. If by chance, after the first night your table isn't working for you, you can ask the maitre d to move you. We had to once when we were sat with 1 other couple, instead of 3or 4, and they didn't talk to us. We were moved the next night to a table of 10 hilarious people and we ended shutting the dining room every night then going on to the bar.

As to where in the dining room you are sat it is completely arbitrary (so they say). Some positions are thought better than others but I don't have any preferences. You can, mid afternoon on embarkation day, go to the dining room and check out where you are, and if you really really don't like it, hunt down the maitred and see if he will move you before dinner.

 

That ( above) is a tale for set dining; below is Select dining.

 

A section of the dining room is set aside for Select. You can approach Select dining a number of different ways; you can turn up at any time and be seated ad hoc, or you can ask for a table of a particular size, you may also book ahead for specific times and table sizes, and lastly, you can decide you want to dine at 7:30 every night at a particular table and request it for the rest of the cruise (7-7:30 are the busiest). They try to fulfill every request but sometimes a compromise has to be made.

Thanks for the info! I'll be watching for more from you later. Edited January 16, 2014 by Katzpur

[middlehaitch]

Whew, I am back,

Hello again Katzpur,

Even though the Eclipse has a large passenger population it doesn't feel crowded, most of the time.

EXCURSIONS

If you are disembarking for a Celebrity excursion you will be advised of when and where to meet.

A private tour will accomodate your times. So if the ship docks at 8, as it does in most ports, the first half hour after the ship clears customs is busy, so plan your day around getting off after 9am. We have a private excursion booked for 9:30am in Aruba with another couple from our roll call, but we are doing the zipline adventure with Celebrity (ANA3) on Antigua and will debark about 20min before the time on the ticket. If you are doing a Celebrity excursion or 2 the tickets should be in your cabin when you arrive. If they aren't check with the excursion or customer service desk as soon as you can.

It is amazing how fast a ship can empty!

 

FOOD

Included

Yes, Katzpur, the MDR is open every day for breakfast and dinner, only on sea days for lunch, and it is included with your fare.

The Oceanview Cafe is a full buffet with great food. It is open most of the day, small closures for menu changes, and offers piza later at night.

This too is included.

There is also the Mast grill which offers pretty good burgers fries and hot dogs, it closes at 6pm, and the cafe al Baccio which serves specialty coffees and Ice creams for a fee but the little cakes and sandwiches (snacks) are free.

All the above are included.

Not Included

There are a number of 'specialty' restaurants that you pay a fee for; Bistro on 5 serves both sweet and savoury crepes as well as soups & lighter fare. It is $5 and you can eat as much as you can. It is more a daytime venue.

The restaurants that serve dinners are all under $50 and you can order whatever you wish off the menu, x2 if you are hungry.

We always say when we are going on a cruise that we will go to at least 1 of the specialty restaurants; we never make it, we enjoy our time in the MDR so much that we can't see why we should spend extra.

 

GRATUITIES

This is always a touchy subject as tipping is different culturally as well as from person to person.

What we do is pre pay the gratuities then if the cabin service has been good leave a little extra for both attendants. In the dining room we also give a bit extra at the end of the cruise if the service has been good.

This is a choise that only you can make as it is so subjective.

Bar staff and waiters, we give a dollar for service most times....a long wait no tip. We have had occasion where we have given a bar quite a good tip at the end of the cruise, but that was because they looked after me really well making me a different fancy cocktail every night; some even matching the colour of the dress I was wearing for dinner. We enjoyed the staff at that bar and they enjoyed us.

If you are anything like us, and tend to end up in the same areas most days, the staff start to recognise you quickly and will look after you well; they are the ones to tip, the ones you have a rapport with.

What is really appreciated by all who work on the ship is a positive report from you. At the end of the cruise you are left a comment type card, I can't remember what it is called, please fill it in and if someone deserves praise above and beyond mention them by name. This is how people earn promotions. On one cruise our assistant waiter was excellent, outshone the waiter, everyone of us (table for 12) sang his praises on the card so he could be promoted up to full waiter status sooner. You can also get a similar card from the Customer service desk if at some point you need to praise or reprove someone.

 

Goodness gracious I do go on. I do hope all this chatter helps you.

 

Cheers, h

Contact me

have fun

[Katzpur]

Whew, I am back,

Hello again Katzpur,

Even though the Eclipse has a large passenger population it doesn't feel crowded, most of the time.

 

EXCURSIONS

If you are disembarking for a Celebrity excursion you will be advised of when and where to meet.

A private tour will accomodate your times. So if the ship docks at 8, as it does in most ports, the first half hour after the ship clears customs is busy, so plan your day around getting off after 9am. We have a private excursion booked for 9:30am in Aruba with another couple from our roll call, but we are doing the zipline adventure with Celebrity (ANA3) on Antigua and will debark about 20min before the time on the ticket. If you are doing a Celebrity excursion or 2 the tickets should be in your cabin when you arrive. If they aren't check with the excursion or customer service desk as soon as you can.

It is amazing how fast a ship can empty!

 

FOOD

Included

Yes, Katzpur, the MDR is open every day for breakfast and dinner, only on sea days for lunch, and it is included with your fare.

The Oceanview Cafe is a full buffet with great food. It is open most of the day, small closures for menu changes, and offers piza later at night.

This too is included.

There is also the Mast grill which offers pretty good burgers fries and hot dogs, it closes at 6pm, and the cafe al Baccio which serves specialty coffees and Ice creams for a fee but the little cakes and sandwiches (snacks) are free.

All the above are included.

 

Not Included

There are a number of 'specialty' restaurants that you pay a fee for; Bistro on 5 serves both sweet and savoury crepes as well as soups & lighter fare. It is $5 and you can eat as much as you can. It is more a daytime venue.

The restaurants that serve dinners are all under $50 and you can order whatever you wish off the menu, x2 if you are hungry.

We always say when we are going on a cruise that we will go to at least 1 of the specialty restaurants; we never make it, we enjoy our time in the MDR so much that we can't see why we should spend extra.

 

GRATUITIES

This is always a touchy subject as tipping is different culturally as well as from person to person.

What we do is pre pay the gratuities then if the cabin service has been good leave a little extra for both attendants. In the dining room we also give a bit extra at the end of the cruise if the service has been good.

This is a choise that only you can make as it is so subjective.

Bar staff and waiters, we give a dollar for service most times....a long wait no tip. We have had occasion where we have given a bar quite a good tip at the end of the cruise, but that was because they looked after me really well making me a different fancy cocktail every night; some even matching the colour of the dress I was wearing for dinner. We enjoyed the staff at that bar and they enjoyed us.

If you are anything like us, and tend to end up in the same areas most days, the staff start to recognise you quickly and will look after you well; they are the ones to tip, the ones you have a rapport with.

What is really appreciated by all who work on the ship is a positive report from you. At the end of the cruise you are left a comment type card, I can't remember what it is called, please fill it in and if someone deserves praise above and beyond mention them by name. This is how people earn promotions. On one cruise our assistant waiter was excellent, outshone the waiter, everyone of us (table for 12) sang his praises on the card so he could be promoted up to full waiter status sooner. You can also get a similar card from the Customer service desk if at some point you need to praise or reprove someone.

 

Goodness gracious I do go on. I do hope all this chatter helps you.

 

Cheers, h

Contact me

 

have fun

Wow! Thank you! You are a wealth of knowledge!

[middlehaitch]

Katzpur,

not really, I am just so ready for my March cruise I have cruising on my mind.

Cheers. h.

Contact me

 

 

we are the

'Exotic Southerners'

_________________________:D_______________________

[studygirl]

We did an NCL 12-Day Grand Mediterranean cruise in May 2013 based on the recommendation of others. It was definitely a majority 55+ cruise at that time of the year. However, it was a great mix of personality types. May turned out to be a great time as the ports were much less crowded.

 

I just have a few suggestions. First, we found a current book on Mediterranean cruise ports to be extremely beneficial to us. It included maps with WC locations and other interesting tips for each port. We took the author's advice and tore the book apart and carried only the section pertaining to the port we were visiting.

 

Secondly, heed the warnings about getting lost on Mykonos. Several on our cruise became separated from their traveling companions and kept walking around in circles. They failed to agree on a meeting place, which I think is a good thing to do in all ports. A good meeting place in Mykonos is the dock where you catch the tenders back to the ship. I found Mykonos to be the best port we visited for shopping. We did not book an excursion here. The tender brought us to the pier and everything was walkable for us. We veered right and tried to follow the shore line as much as possible all the way to the windmills. We ate at a restaurant near the windmills with tables lining the shore looking out toward Little Venice.

 

Lastly, a good lightweight rain jacket is a must. There were several windy days and a couple of light rain days where they were needed. We had the type that fold into a pouch and they were adequate.

 

Have a great trip!