Celebrity Secrets they usually don't tell you about

[bob278]

Rusty,

 

Admittedly you didn't suggest stealing anything since food is free.

 

But I thought calling the waiter "dumb" and "riding" him/her to the kitchen (ships don't have kitchens - they have galleys) was a bit insensitive. :D

[ecowen]

How about this one: Early on the first day and late on the last last day of the cruise, you can take a peak at other staterooms, since they leave the doors unlocked and open.

 

But do NOT try this at any other time during the cruise, or Walt will come after you!:p

 

:D

[Boo's Mom]

Oh...you guys and gals are making me laugh!

 

...and I thank you!

 

;)

[rogerbear]

Has anyone used the CC Category on Horizon? What all does it include and is it worth the money?

 

Also, does any know if Horizon has the Passion (I think that's what I read on some of the comments here) Spa?

 

Does the Aqua Spa have Co-ed STeam and Sauna rooms or is there separate Steam and Saunas in the ladies and mens lockers rooms.

 

This is my 1st cruise on Celebrity and looking forward to it. In May 2004 I cruised on RCCL (Grandeur of the Sea) and was very disappointed with the food and a few other things. I thought Carnival had much better food and presentation than RCCL.

 

All informatin is appreciated..

 

Thanks

[ecowen]

Also, does any know if Horizon has the Passion (I think that's what I read on some of the comments here) Spa?

Okay, this is way off topic, but I love that you called it the "passion spa." I think you mean Persian Gardens, and no, it's not on Horizon, only the larger, new Celebrity ships. From now on, though, I'm calling it the Passion Spa.;)

 

Why don't you start a new thread with your question? You'll get a lot more responses that way.:)

[Denham33]

- chocolate croissants available warm each morning in Cova Cafe

- a daily pass ($20) to the Persian Gardens if you want to try it out before spending $100 for the entire cruise

- creme brulee available every night at dinner IF you pre-order it

 

If you try the Persian Gardens on the $20 daily pass & like it, they apply that fee to your $100 cost. Also, if you don't get to it until a few days in, you can negotiate a lower price. My DH signed up day 1 or 2 on the Connie & kept telling me to try it. I went in on our 1st sea day (day 1 = Dominican Republic, day 2 = sea day), tried it for $20. The woman at the desk, who had seen DH there a few times already, said if I liked it, she could give it to me for $80 - not a big savings, but I only missed about 1 1/2 days. Another girl was at the desk when I came out & decided to sign up; she was going to charge me the full $100 - I had to tell her what the other woman said, and she gave it to me with no questions.

[JeffCoud]

Trust me -- I have!

 

The aft deck area on the Penthouse deck on the Galaxy and Mercury are a very nice secluded spot with lounge chairs.

 

I also LOVE the big chocolate chip cookies you can get from room service!

 

This is a fun (and informative!) thread!

 

Jeff

 

You can have 4 desserts on formal nights (maybe more).

[cruisinjudy]

I ordered the giant Chocolate chip cookie on Mercury, and it was dry and made with too much flour, a real disappointment. Should I try it again?

[prettybeth]

I have to agree, those cookies looked better than they tasted. My two kids refused to eat them after tasting them and they love choc chip cookies. I didn't think they even tasted like chocolate chip, just sweet and crunchy. Never ordered them again.

[dizliz]

This thread is very helpful! Love the tip about the aft deck area on Penthouse deck. Any more like that? We are taking our first Galaxy trip in September. Would like to know if there is food service anywhere on the ship as folks board.:confused:

Thanks!

Liz

[dmarch@islc.net]

Aft on Alantic deck 10 is the same way on the Zenith. Nice sun area.

[ABSCruiseLuvers]

I have to agree, those cookies looked better than they tasted. My two kids refused to eat them after tasting them and they love choc chip cookies. I didn't think they even tasted like chocolate chip, just sweet and crunchy. Never ordered them again.

 

That’s the lack of sugar in them. European pastry tends to use far less sugar than we do with our sweets in the U.S. Most of the pastry chefs follow the more traditional methods which I appreciate in most instances but it certainly does NOT work with chocolate chip cookies. They need to follow a more American method for those. Just don’t change the croissants though.

[Ships R Great]

A comment about aft on Zenith. Avoid Deck 9! It is right over the disco. After drydock the disco will become a specialty restaurant then it would be great to be back there. Deck 10 doesn't get the sound, I don't think.

[babylene]

The first time I sailed Celebrity, I went crazy for the cookies. Now they are like sawdust! But better for my waistline!!!

[Chick's pal]

DizLiz: The buffet will be open when you board for your dining pleasure... Enjoy your first experience on Galaxy!

 

Another food-related "secret" (if you can call it that), one of our tablemates on Millie last year was craving plain old spaghetti with marinara. She inquired with our waiter and he and the kitchen came through with no problem! So if you have a craving, it definitely doesn't hurt to ask.

[CruisingChick]

Yes, Chick's Pal is correct. On our April Cruise I was upset there was no Chocolate Chiffon Pie and our tablemates were upset there was no Key Lime pie. The last night of the cruise (it was only 7 nights), we all had a piece of each pie at our table.

 

That's the problem when you get use to taking longer than a 7 night cruises, you get desserts that are not on the 7 night menu.

[Shari2]

These are great tips! Thanks, everyone! Here's another one!

 

If you happen into the casino and don't have any cash with you for gambling, you can go to the cashier, and he/she will give you cash and put it on your sign and sail card.

[Faygelah]

We were on the Connie Transatlantic and wanted to see the Bridge. (I played up the fact that my father-in-law is a WWII navy vet). I was told to write a note to the Social Director. I left it at the front desk, and the next day we were invited on a Bridge tour. This was after having been told that there would absolutely, positively not be any tour of the bridge because of security precautions.

[Host Walt]

How about this one: Early on the first day and late on the last last day of the cruise, you can take a peak at other staterooms, since they leave the doors unlocked and open.

 

But do NOT try this at any other time during the cruise, or Walt will come after you!:p

 

:D

No, I'll be ahead of you. (We do the same thing. Thought it was a secret! ;) )

[Host Walt]

Our little secret.

 

We hate disembarkation lines and the absence of any activities except sitting and waiting. We book a mid-afternoon flight.

 

We get some coffee and goodies in the buffet then head out for the Lido Deck and sit on deck reading and/or reflecting on the experience. Flat out relaxing on a deck of a cruise ship with no reason to rush off. Empty deck, coffee refills available and catch the rays we missed by sleeping in during the cruise.

 

Life is wonderful.

 

Once the feverish masses finish their exercise in voluntary masochism, pushing and shoving to get off first, we stroll off the ship later with only a few others in line, relaxed and ready for the fun and games to come at the airport.

 

After many cruises I keep wondering why people book early flights then spend the entire cruise worrying about making the plane. We always take a later flight with others who know our secret and still get home at a decent hour. Late enough to avoid the hassle but early enough to open the mail and have another "Special Drink of the Day" in our own house.

 

Unpacking and cleaning up can wait until tomorrow...maybe.

[TWOFERTWO]

Once the feverish masses finish their exercise in voluntary masochism, pushing and shoving to get off first, we stroll off the ship later with only a few others in line, relaxed and ready for the fun and games to come at the airport.

After many cruises I keep wondering why people book early flights then spend the entire cruise worrying about making the plane. We always take a later flight with others who know our secret and still get home at a decent hour. Late enough to avoid the hassle but early enough to open the mail and have another "Special Drink of the Day" in our own house.

WELL :D said.

[lgarner]

My DH loves butter pecan ice cream and asked the waiter on our Zenith cruise in Feb. if it would be served one night. He said it was on the menu for the following evening. The next night at dinner the waiter and DH joked about the butter pecan and how good it would be, but when we ordered our dessert we waited and waited and waited. Finally the maitre'd appeared to apologize (I think the waiter was afraid to tell DH after all the joking) he said they ran out of BP ice cream. They told us it was made on board and they threatened to toss the cook overboard. Well, every night after that multiple dishes of BP ice cream arrived at our table along with a sheepish waiter and maitre'd. It became a big joke, most of the men at the table having two desserts, the one they ordered and the BP ice cream!! Very nice that they made up a special batch since it no longer appeared on the menu.

[StephenJohnson]

HostWalt:

 

Well said, sir!

 

After our next Celebrity cruise we become 'leet and can hang out in the Bat Cave, but I think we may continue doing something similar to you - it was Michael's club on Zenith, we were all alone, and similar in the Pool area on Sun Princess.

[mregis]

My DH found this thread the other day. Very interesting hints.

 

We knew about the berries because on our last cruise I had asked for beries on the first night to go with the creme brulee. They didn't have them that night, but I sure got them every other night of the 14 day cruise. Also, I ask for a plate of raw vegetables, carrots, celery, fennel and the like to be placed on the table when we sit down. That way I can snack on veggies instead of bread before dinner.

 

We have a favorite dessert, Choc. meringue, choc. mousse and choc sauce. We order that several times during the trip. As long as you ask the day before, there is no problem.

 

I totally agree that the nicer you are to the staff, the better service you get. Also, because we cruise frequently, we often see the same people from one trip to the next or meet someone who knows someone we know. Four trips ago we had an excellent sommelier who was from the Ukraine. The next trip he was in the specialty restaurant so we saw him several times that trip. The next trip we looked for him in the specialty restaurant and were told that he was on the ship but in the main dining room, so we sent him a message that his "mom and dad" were on the ship. He came over and we talked again. On that trip he had to get off before the end of the trip, but came to see us before he left. He gave us 2 oz. of great caviar as a gift. On the last cruise, there he was again!!! He has now retired and is running a bistro like restaurant in the Ukraine. So be nice and tip nice, if you want to be allowed back!

 

I hestitate to let others in on this one. The specialty restaurants on the M class ships are truly a fine dining experience. When you go for the third time they offer to make you a special meal. The Maitre d' prepares the whole dish at your table -- it's like having a personal chef!! Book early, though because they fill up. On our trip last summer we made a bee line to the Specialty Restaurant to sign up for the nights that we wanted (we prefer to go on at sea days) and lo and behold the Maitre d' at the desk was our old friend Nuri who we had met several times before. He wasn't on our last trip, but tne m d' at the Specialty Restaurant knew him and we sent greetings to Nuri through him.

 

If I think of anything else will post again.

 

Margie

[brigittetom]

Host Walt, We learned that trick many years ago. I have never understood the thought process that would make anyone want to be part of a crowd to exit anything. Another plus, when you get off the ship basically last, your luggage is sitting all by itself and you avoid that awful routine of trying to locate it with others knocking you over trying to find theirs. :D