SebagoSue

We've greatly enjoyed Edge class.  As with any cruise line, enhancement and experiences can be expanded with a larger and more up to date ships.  It's the nature of upgrading a fleet.  When Millennium was the only class, we enjoyed that, and following Solstice improved the experience over Millennium class.  But with each class, so has the passenger capacity increased;  so as the ships get bigger, so do the crowds.   At this point, as we sail suite class, and do not favor going back in ship class (M,S).   The legacy ship class Retreat experience is far inferior to what Edge class offers (by design) when sailing in a suite.  So to us, that's the most notable change that makes Edge class our new preference.

We chose Utopia in October and booked a balcony upgrade for about $200.

As long whatever merger includes:
-No reduction in C&A perks on RC cruises
-Me earning C&A points while on a Celebrity cruise

Others have already posted tibs and tabs about this but I don't think there's a thread devoted to it...at least, not that I know of.
There has been a CP "sale" going on for a couple of days.  It is "on again/off again" but it's back on today.
BUT - BE CAREFUL.  Some of the dining packages include gratuities in the "list price" and some do not so be careful cancelling something that you already have until you know for SURE that it's going to be a savings.
1.  It appears as though MOST of the packages - UDP and 3 night, already include the grats.  If the grats are included, it will say so below the advertised price.  If it says "Gratuities Included" then the final price will simply be the number of packages that you are purchasing, multiplied by the price of the package(s) you are purchasing.  If it says "pre-cruise savings", the grats are NOT included in that price so you will have to calculate the total price to see what the final $$ will be.
2.  It APPEARS as though the requirement to eat at least one meal on nights #1 or #2 is gone.  The CP no longer required me to choose a "first" meal time.  That's a good thing, IMO.  Hopefully you can now use your packages on any days/nights that you choose.
3.  It appears as though all of the individual restaurants still require you to calculate gratuities....IOW, the grats are not included in the posted price for individual restaurants.  Some of the individual restaurants that I checked were less $$ than when I first purchased and some were not.  Just be sure that you know what you'll be paying BEFORE you cancel anything and/or purchase at the "reduced" price.  It seems like the package prices include grats.
4.  I was not able to use any of my available OBC when I purchased/repurchased my specialty dining.  It gave me the option of using the OBC but the final price was never reduced by the amount of the OBC so I am HOPING that the OBC is still there.  This is uncertain to me at the moment.  Hopefully the OBC will reappear in a day or so.
5.  As far as I can tell, the ability to make pre-purchased dining reservations ahead of time has still not been implemented.  I was never prompted to make any specific reservations.
6.  Other items in the CP may also be on sale.  I have only looked at dining so I am unaware if other areas of the CP are similarly affected.
The prices are pretty good (considering the upward trend for specialty pricing) and I saved quite a bit of $$ by cancelling and repurchasing but it took me a while to figure out the secret code.

No, that's the original one. Facebook mysteriously re-instated it today

It is a tender port.  Ship excursions do get 1st priority off the ship with diamond and above members(must get ticket from in the lounge)
All other passengers not on ship excursions will have to get ticket from designated location.
Depending on weather conditions, ship excursions are tendered over and buses are lined up at different area AWAY from the cable car platform.
It is very feasible to book independent excursions and much cheaper.  Tour operators are waiting at top of platform. We did independent and thoroughly enjoyed.  Much smaller group only 10, price cheaper and had quality experience.
We were 1st group off ship and at top of platform within 20 minutes.  Be prepared for long lines for cable car back at end of day.  We ended up taking steps back to ship but be cautious of being slippery and donkeys.
It doesn't matter whether a ship excursions or not, everyone takes Cable car back ad no priority line for ship excursions.
You can't buy tickets ahead nor round trip 
Enjoy Santorini

So here I go...."telling" on myself.  Sheesh...
I made the rookiest of rookie mistakes.  I double-booked (overlap) cruises !  I still can't believe I made such a stupid, rookie mistake but I sure did !
When I booked our annual tier casino cruises yesterday, I booked the 9th and the 16th of March B2B on SY.  All was well until I realized that we had JUST booked a 10 night EX cruise (an instant casino comp from leg #1 of this trio) for 3-20-25.  That means that I would still be ON SY when it was time to board EX.  OMG, the panic !  I felt like I was going to be sick.  I had JUST spent HOURS on the phone with Club Royale to get these 2 bookings (plus fix another comp that had gotten totally FUBAR, but that's another story....) made and now I had to go BACK and move the March 16th to March 2nd.  I was fully prepared to have to pay a $200 fee to move this cruise but it had to be done....moving the EX cruise was not an option since there was no other 10 night cruise in the casino offer to choose from.
I got BACK on the phone with Club Royale and honestly, it could not have gone more smoothly.  No change fee, she simply changed the sail date and that was that. I didn't deserve such an easy fix to a TOTALLY avoidable blunder on my part. The only problem was that there was a very small upharge for upgrading from the interior offer to the XB, Ocean View Guarantee for this sailing. For this particular cruise, the XB was slightly more than the 4V (which is the way it usually is.....I just got super lucky with my original bookings) but I gladly paid it to have my mistake behind me.  In retrospect (this is not an excuse....just an explanation) this pricing upcharge is the reason that I originally chose the 9th and 16th instead of the 2nd and the 9th.  The fact that I was already booked on EX never entered my pea brain.  Anyway....crisis rectified.  We are still on B2B on SY but slightly earlier than we were, originally.
UGH

I didn't expect our certs to show up until this afternoon (according to the release schedule) but they both showed up early this morning.
I spent ALL morning on the phone (we are in Falmouth and I used the ship's phone to call) BUT we ended up with some great results.  I was able to book both Dan's and my Prime comp cruises for B2B SY sailings (Miami) and we were able to get XB (ocean view balcony guarantee) for -0- upgrade as the XB category for our cruises was lower than the 4V interior room on both of our cruises !!!  We are on 3-9-25 and 3-16-25.
I am not a huge fan of ANY kind of GTY but in this case, it will be worth it, no matter where our OV balcony is. Yes, we will have to change rooms but we saved probably $1000 by opting for the XB over a chance to choose our cabin.  ANY balcony will beat ANY interior !
So be sure to check and see if the cost of an upgraded category is actually less than the interior fare, which is most likely what your offer is based on, if you are Prime.

You can use offer code 24Tier3 if you want to go ahead and see the full exclusion list.  http://clubroyaleoffers.com/CertificateOfferCodeLookUp.asp
 
Summary:
No Icon at all (even Feb/March)
No Christmas sailings
No New Years sailings
No Thanksgiving sailings
A lot of Summer exclusions
A few very random exclusions (like 1 Oasis and Odyssey in Sept)

Okay…upon further investigation, I found the nonrefundable note on both of the excursions, the 3 night dining package and the embarkation lunch for my 4-5 EX sailing.  Interestingly enough, that note does NOT appear on the purchase of the Hideaway reservations for the second third on our EX B3B (4-14).  For anyone else interested in looking, go to your “Order History” and open the reservation.  This is where I found the notes.
 
I find it hard to believe that they are going to implement a non-refundable policy on excursions.  On their private island experiences?  Maybe.   I really don’t see how they could enforce a nonrefundable policy without stating that information clearly at the time of purchase, so I think this is a glitch BUT it is a strong hint that this might be coming.  Not a fan…

Going to echo what others have said as well. I have sailed both, and Wonder has the better restaurants/venues, but Symphony has the better shows. Both ships are great, I would happily sail either one again, I have future bookings on both actually. For me, if I had to pick between the two, it would come down to price, itinerary (if that matters), and ease of travel to the port.

When I dined in CK I tipped as I go. I have always utilized this method. I never know if I will see anyone again.
On one cruise I wasn't feeling very well on the last night so I was grateful I took care of everyone. On another our usual person was sick, so if I had waited they would have missed out.

I know exactly how you feel.  After many years of wrestling with the whole tipping minefield, I have decided to treat it just like any other of life's mysteries - The only control I have is over what I do....I cannot control what happens beyond that.
We tip-as-we-go ALWAYS.  That is the only thing that really works for us.  You NEVER know if you will see the person again who has served you so tip while you can and forget about it.  I canNOT control what happens to the money once I leave it on the table or, in some cases, give it directly to a server.  That is beyond my control.  I do what I should do - I tip - what happens after that is none of my business.  I trust that they have an equitable process worked out where those who need to get tipped, will.  If they do not, frankly, it's not my problem.

Just wanted to resurrect this thread to give a heartfelt thanks to all of you for your advice. Nityam was simply amazing and set the standard for which our future genies will be judged. I want to hope he enjoyed us as well. Considering he wasn’t calling security on us, we were an improvement over the previous passengers at a minimum. lol
 

First one of the night

Ask and ye shall (probably) receive

I agree with everything @SMOKEY0202 said, it’s definitely personal preference.  But unless you love going to the spa, $2,600 would buy quite a bit of specialty dining as well as perhaps a one day spa pass.  I love all the specialty dining restaurants on Celebrity ships, so for me, I’d go with the regular veranda and add specialty dining.  

I always say night 1 is the best night for specialty dining because the welcome abord menu is boring and usually it is chaotic. Think about it, most of the staff has spent the day preparing the ship for new guest, they are tired and learning the new pax preferences. So mistakes and long wait times can happen. Specialty restaurants don't deal in volume, so it is a much more relaxing experience. 

@ScottDAny of the Edge class ships would be a great way to try Celebrity.  I would expect the XCel to be most like Beyond or Ascent, which have some changes from the Edge. Also, I would liken Edge class ships more to Quantum class than to Oasis class in size and feel.
Celebrity is very adult oriented.  While you might see a few children, there aren’t many except for Holiday cruises.  
Typically there are shows in the main theater at 7:30 and 9:30 each night. There are also shows in Eden around 10:30 and other events, games, etc in The Club throughout the day.  You won’t find a pub singer or lots of late night action as on Royal, so for some people it may be too calm.
We find Celebrity to have better food than Royal in all venues. 
if you like to sail in suites, the Retreat experience is amazing.
We sailed Celebrity for the first time last year and going forward we will be splitting our cruises about 50/50 between Royal and Celebrity as we love the activities and entertainment on Royal and love the relaxation on Celebrity.
@Matt did a great review recently of his Thanksgiving sailing on Apex and talked about the differences between the two lines.
if Xcel is a great deal for the maiden voyage, I say YOLO book it!

Oh no. I admit I've complained about this a few times myself. I certainly don't begrudge anyone their earned or paid-for perks, but when you combine suite perks and loyalty perks, that waters down the perks for everyone. There has to be a better solution. Whether you're a suite guest or Pinnacle guest without a seat in the lounge or really slow service due to overcrowding, the outcome is the same for both types of guests. 
 
 

There are 3 ways to get a “free “ cruise in the casino.
1.  Earn at least 1500 points on any cruise.  This is called an “Instant” reward.  These are the cruises listed in the QR codes found in the casino.  The level of the offer depends on your level of play and your losses.  You can earn an instant reward every time you cruise if you earn the points required.  Certificates earned on the same cruise can be combined (see @Pattycruise comment above).

2.  Earn 2500 points over a 1-year period from 1 April of one year through 31 March of the following year.  This is a tier level (Prime) reward.  You can claim this free cruise any time after ~15 April…or when the new casino year starts. Each tier level player gets 1 of these per casino year.  
3.  A random offer that comes through the mail, email or on clubroyaleoffers.com. These rewards are called “Monthlies”.  Monthly offers are based solely on the level of play and losses from your most recent cruise.

#1 also has some bizarre sub-categories that can be very confusing.  For instance, if you earn  a certificate for less than 1500  points, sometimes there is a complimentary offer associated with it but in order to use it for a complimentary cruise, you must have purchased a Next Cruise Open Booking.  Without the NCOB you will only receive the $$$off associated with the certificate.
Also, ANY instant reward comp cruise, regardless of its value, requires a NCOB in order to receive the “free play” bonus associated with it.  No NCOB, no free play.
Clear as mud ?  Yea, me too.

Sorry….been slackin’ off the past couple of days.
Nothing of interest to report.  Tonite is the last night on Radiance  We will be in Tampa tomorrow and we will be disembarking with our luggage first thing,  We will meet Gavin, the Concierge Lounge Concierge (something’s not right with that title…) at 7:00 in the Photo gallery (Deck 5).  Hopefully we’ll be walking off shortly after 7:00.
Speaking of the photo gallery, Radiance still has the old timey photo stands with thousands of hard copy photos to go through to find yours.  SUCH a waste of time and money !  I can’t believe that in this day and age they are still analog with the photos !  I hadn’t seen that in years.  Just WOW.
We finally got to the Cinema to see a movie !  I kept meaning to do it for the past 8 days but finally did it last night.  We saw “Haunted Mansion” a Disney movie based on the Disneyland/ World ride.  It was very cute and we enjoyed it.  The only annoying thing was they had subtitles for the hearing impaired and it was very distracting.  I kept trying to ignore them but caught myself reading instead of watching !  Ugh.
After my first night of success in the casino, the rest were awful so I quit going after the first few days,  They’re really wasted points at the point in the casino year so I will hold onto my money in preparation for 4-1-24 and the start of the new casino year.  We’re not getting any offers anyway so why bother  ?
We will be home one whole night before heading down to PoM to board Oasis (or Oasish, as I call it) for 7 nights going to Labadee, PDCC and Falmouth.  I can’t recall the last time I was in Falmouth.  It’s been a while.  At least we will be driving to Miami on a weekend rather than during the week.  It’s a BIT of a break to the horrid traffic.  This cruise (one of Dans casino comps) is the one and only time we have ever received a complimentary upgrade on a casino comp.  Not sure why….but the offer was for an interior and I asked them to price an upgrade to a Central Park balcony.  When the rep came back on the line she said they had authorized a complimentary upgrade.  Woohoo !  So this cruise cost us nothing but taxes, port fees and gratuities.  We are in a CP with double balcony (12229).  I didn’t even bother to do a RU.  We actually really like the double balcony CP so we’re happy.
So tomorrow is laundry and re-packing day.  Off on another great adventure !
 

short cruises are great if you can drive to the port. We have 3 nighters on Allure, Utopia, and Reflection booked this year but can easily drive. They are a nice taste of cruising in between the longer itineraries that require a week off work. 

Well, I may have a $hitty room but I was a winner in the casino tonite so I’m happy !
😂😂

We just got back from our sailing on Allure with Nityam as our genie. You have nothing to worry about he is fantastic and extremely detail oriented! I think they are a little backlogged with communication pre cruise because of the increased turn over with guests now that they are doing 3-4 night sailings. It won’t affect your experience, once on board. 
 
we were instructed to book chefs table or hibachi in advance if we wanted them as was stated by someone above.