Is Celebrity still doing the Behind The Scenes tour?

[dlh015]

I've looked in the CP and the app but I can't find it. Also googled but no joy.

 

I've seen that other folks have booked it. 

 

Can someone enlighten me as to how to go about booking it (if I can)?

 

Or perhaps I'm too early as my Caribbean cruise is in January? (On the Equinox...I've posted in the Roll Call too...)

[Chanbre]

On Silhouette, middle of last month (August 2022), we did a behind the scenes tour. It was listed with all the other excursions and booked as an excursion. We paid £103 per person.

 

The papers left in our cabin on boarding day also offered a back-stage tour of the theatre. This had to be booked on-board. I do not recall whether there was a fee.

[dlh015]

10 minutes ago, Chanbre said:

It was listed with all the other excursions and booked as an excursion.

Thank you...very helpful. At least I'm looking in the right place!

[Northern Aurora]

All of the back-stage tours I have taken have been a Captain's Club event and are free.

 

The Behind the Scenes tours are paid and are not a quick walk-though type of tour.  We have one booked through Shore Excursions for later this month on the Solstice.  We spent two weeks on the Solstice last June on a B2B pairing and the Behind the Scenes tours on both legs were sold out.

[upwarduk]

43 minutes ago, Chanbre said:

On Silhouette, middle of last month (August 2022), we did a behind the scenes tour. It was listed with all the other excursions and booked as an excursion. We paid £103 per person.

It was a free Elite Event.

 

Certainly not worth £103.

 

 

 

[dlh015]

19 minutes ago, Northern Aurora said:

All of the back-stage tours I have taken have been a Captain's Club event and are free.

 

The Behind the Scenes tours are paid and are not a quick walk-though type of tour.  We have one booked through Shore Excursions for later this month on the Solstice.  We spent two weeks on the Solstice last June on a B2B pairing and the Behind the Scenes tours on both legs were sold out.

Thank you! Did you book it thru the Cruise Planner? Would it be under the Book shore excursion area (even though it's not a shore excursion...)?

 

I'm assuming it will show up closer to my cruise...and I want to get it as soon as it's available because I know they sell out verrrrry quickly. That has been my experience on every line. I was lucky enough to snag one on the QM2 back in April 2019...

 

ETA: On the Mary it was first come, first serve after you boarded the ship!

Edited September 4, 2022 by dlh015

[Northern Aurora]

29 minutes ago, dlh015 said:

Thank you! Did you book it thru the Cruise Planner? Would it be under the Book shore excursion area (even though it's not a shore excursion...)?

 

I'm assuming it will show up closer to my cruise...and I want to get it as soon as it's available because I know they sell out verrrrry quickly. That has been my experience on every line. I was lucky enough to snag one on the QM2 back in April 2019...

 

ETA: On the Mary it was first come, first serve after you boarded the ship!

 

 

Since the Behind the Scenes tours were sold out for both of our Solstice legs on our B2B last June we very early purchased the tour for both of us for another upcoming Solstice B2B later this month.  We booked it through shore excursions on the cruise planner.

 

We did one on a M-class ship several years ago, and thoroughly enjoyed it.  Our experience was that the questions from the folks on the tour directed the tour, and it lasted  longer than expected.  The presenters have a mic and the participants have volume controlled ear phones so everyone could hear clearly.  In the galley the executive chef did his presentation and then took questions; we backtracked to another part of the galley as a lady had specific questions regarding food preparation for folks with food allergies.  In the engine control room we had an interesting discussion about elevator management issues which was prompted by a question from a passenger.  On the bridge a retired commercial airline pilot had questions about emergency checklists which prompted another very interesting discussion.  And the recycling center was really interesting.

[Smmessineo]

I think I saw it listed under the excursions for my December cruises. I did the paid  tour a few years ago. It was a few hours. Amazing ! Galley, laundry, i-95 and engineering ( control room). But the highlight was meeting Bug Naked , who was napping in her cat bed on the bridge.  I recommend it, even without a ship's cat sighting 😀

In the past, I've done mini-tours, mostly through captain's club events. And somehow got invited to the bridge while on a Halloween cruise. I went in full pirate costume, one of my favorite cruise memories.  I am quite excited to get one of those rare sailaway events or  a bridge tour. As an   interior stateroom aficionado, I'm proof it can happen at any.level.😁

Edited September 4, 2022 by Smmessineo

[dlh015]

Thanks, folks!

 

The tours you describe are very much like the QM2 I took...I, too, found the recycling area completely amazing...as well as the rest of course. There was even an ice craving demo by the artist who created those incredible ice centerpieces...

 

Thanks again...my question is answered.

[RTShaker]

2 hours ago, upwarduk said:

It was a free Elite Event.

 

Certainly not worth £103.

 

 

 

The backstage tour is not the same. The behind the scenes is bridge, stores, laundry, engine control room, crew areas, etc.

[zitsky]

I see it in the planner.   Just not sure if it’s worth it.

[dlh015]

9 minutes ago, zitsky said:

I see it in the planner.   Just not sure if it’s worth it.

If it's anything like the QM2 tour, it's well worth it!

 

You see it in your planner? Are you on the ship now or about to go? (I see your Celebrity Reflection cruise for 9/22...Italy, Turkey, Greece...we were just there this past June...it was absolutely wonderful...)

 

I guess that confirms I need to be a *lot* closer to my cruise date...

[dlh015]

17 minutes ago, RTShaker said:

The backstage tour is not the same. The behind the scenes is bridge, stores, laundry, engine control room, crew areas, etc.

LOL...looks like my pics from the bridge on the QM2!!

[zitsky]

3 minutes ago, dlh015 said:

If it's anything like the QM2 tour, it's well worth it!

 

You see it in your planner? Are you on the ship now or about to go? (I see your Celebrity Reflection cruise for 9/22...Italy, Turkey, Greece...we were just there this past June...it was absolutely wonderful...)

 

I guess that confirms I need to be a *lot* closer to my cruise date...

Not on the ship.  But pretty sure I’ve seen it.

[canderson]

4 hours ago, Smmessineo said:

I think I saw it listed under the excursions for my December cruises. I did the paid  tour a few years ago. It was a few hours. Amazing ! 

I see excursions only for port days.  Being a TA, lots of sea days for us.   No sign of a BTS tour.

[PinkSandGirl]

On my upcoming Beyond cruise, initially the Behind the Scenes Tour showed briefly then disappeared for months but they were also suspended at the time fleetwide it seemed.  In March, it appeared again in the Cruise Planner under Onboard Activities.  I booked immediately. 😃  It was $99.00/person at the time.   Currently, it is sold out, but the price has gone up to $139.00 and then there is a pre-cruise savings which brings the price to $124.99.

 

🍹

[Northern Aurora]

2 hours ago, canderson said:

I see excursions only for port days.  Being a TA, lots of sea days for us.   No sign of a BTS tour.

 

 

The Behind the Scenes tours are done on sea days.  If you are interested continue to look on your cruise planner.

 

[Smmessineo]

6 hours ago, canderson said:

I see excursions only for port days.  Being a TA, lots of sea days for us.   No sign of a BTS tour.

 Just rechecked my December cruises. The tour is listed under shore excursions . It is advertised with the recommended excursions when you first go to the page.

Also, there's a dropdown that allows you to click  any day that there is anything available, port or sea day. All excursions for that particular day will show .

See by the picture,  there's no dropdown  for day 3, which is a sea day. Im guessing it is sold out or not offered that day.

Maybe that's the case on your sailing. Hopefully they add it at some point !

Edited September 5, 2022 by Smmessineo

[zitsky]

I see it on day 3 first sea day.  Reflection Sep 26, 2022.  But it’s sold out.  Don’t they know who I am?

 

I will try again next year on our Patagonia South America cruise.

 

Edit:  when does the behind the scenes tour show up in the planner?  Six months before?  Three months?  I want to be ready next time.

Edited September 5, 2022 by zitsky

[PinkSandGirl]

2 hours ago, zitsky said:

 

Edit:  when does the behind the scenes tour show up in the planner?  Six months before?  Three months?  I want to be ready next time.

 

It showed up just over 7 months for me.  It was however showing briefly before that but then gone for months but I think that was because they weren't doing them at that time.  It then showed up March 18th for an October 26th cruise. 

 

🍹

[zitsky]

1 hour ago, PinkSandGirl said:

 

It showed up just over 7 months for me.  It was however showing briefly before that but then gone for months but I think that was because they weren't doing them at that time.  It then showed up March 18th for an October 26th cruise. 

 

🍹

Maybe if they knew who I was, they would add a tour just for me?

[GRBlizz]

Can someone who has taken the tour explain what obstacles my DH in a power chair would face on this tour? It's currently showing available on our upcoming Silly TA, but it has that advisory against people who have mobility issues. We are fine if he can go in most places but not all. I'd appreciate any feedback from those who have taken it.

 

(I am talking about the paid excursion, not the free CC event.)

[Northern Aurora]

 

 

 

24 minutes ago, GRBlizz said:

Can someone who has taken the tour explain what obstacles my DH in a power chair would face on this tour? It's currently showing available on our upcoming Silly TA, but it has that advisory against people who have mobility issues. We are fine if he can go in most places but not all. I'd appreciate any feedback from those who have taken it.

 

(I am talking about the paid excursion, not the free CC event.)

 

We did the Behind the Scenes tour in 2017 and it was on a M-class ship.  My memory is that we took the escalator down from the MDR into the galley, but there is an elevator too.  We took an elevator down to the deck with the Engine  Control Room (which is where we had the bathroom break while we were waiting for security to screen us); the hallway down to the ECR is normal width but my memory is that the ECR itself was a little cramped with the 11 - 15 participants.  But I suspect a power chair could get into the entrance.  My memory, which may not be correct, is that we then proceeded to the Recycling Center passing down hallways of normal width (as we were passing down this hallway we stopped in to say "hi" to folks such as the comptroller).  The Recycling Center was again full with the tour participants but I believe a power chair could get into the room.  From there it was down the I-95 corridor, which is actually quite wide, to visit a crew bar (and sundry store) passing by the crew mess.  My memory is that we took a flight of stairs down to the laundry, but also took the flight back up.  The only stairs I remember are to and from the laundry, but again, we did it in 2017 so my memory may not be totally accurate, and our tour was also on a M-class ship.The last stop was the bridge, which is power chair accessible, and we took the elevator there.  

 

The recycling center is surprisingly interesting as the ship carries all the recyclable materials until they can be off loaded at a port with recycling facilities.  And it was an eyeopener when we realized how little of the ship is open to passengers.  Also, on our tour in response to a participant question, we had a long discussion regarding elevator management issues, and I will never whine about a slow elevator again.

 

[songbird1329]

We have it booked for our cruise in December on the Constellation. We’ve taken similar tours on Carnival and Royal Caribbean 

[irvington]

This sounds fun. Hope I can sign up on our cruise next year.