Bob_KY

Okay. My solution for avoiding a royal caribbean corkage fee.

I uninstall royal and celebrity app when I don't have a cruise booked. Was thinking about a cruise for next year (Alaska again) and reinstalled the royal app. I found this under my profile. "Badges" are being tracked by fleet and destinations. Suddenly, I have the urgent need to get badges.

Before 2024, I have never been asked nor charged a corkage fee. During my March 2025 Celebrity cruise, we were asked about a corkage fee during dinner on three separate occasions. The first time, the sommelier asked if we had a Premium Drink Package. We had the package and the fee was "waived." When approached in other venues, I mentioned this and we weren't charged. I was unable to find the actual RCI policy. Even the link that Wordell1 provided does not address a corkage fee policy (or if there are exceptions: Retreat, Suite, Drink Pkg, etc...). I like to know the rules.

Quick follow up. Our Sunset Sky Suite had seating for four on our balcony. It wasn't crowded at all. It appears my email request worked. BTW, it was a great suite.

We are in a Sunset Sky Suite (aft view on the Ascent) in 33 days. I have requested twice (two Retreat specific emails) to have four chairs/loungers (traveling with another couple) . The balcony is big enough. We will see.

AWESOME live blog - we cruise on the Celebrity Ascent in 33 days. Your insights and reviews made us more excited for our upcoming vacation. Thank you for sharing.

52 days until a new cruise ship experience. With the cold spell, I find myself day dreaming about relaxing on a balcony with a wake view. We are in a Sunset Sky Suite. Any thoughts on this cabin or nuances of this ship? As a side note, wouldn't it be better if this was organized by ship?

For what it is worth: Celebrity app reflects port times too. I clicked on the "More" icon and the "itinerary" link which displayed the info.

We are traveling with another couple and we like to play cards a few times on a cruise. We liked 270 on the Odyssey OTS. Great views with the availabilty of snacks, and drinks are the criteria. Any recommendations on where to go on the Ascent? Thanks!

@Cruisellama. I looked at Le Grand Bistro, basically A la carte pricing without a dinner menu being published (or dinner hours). We are cruising with another couple with this being their first Celebrity cruise. Le Petit Chef would have been a unique experience. When I went back to Le Petit Chef to see the "new" hours - the date of my original reservation was available but got the "Sorry, there is no availability on this date." I received the same message for other dates. I tried both the mobile app and web site. Disappointed with Celebrity's roll out of a new dinner venue.

Ref. Celebrity Ascent, March 2025. I just received this cancelation. A New Dining Opportunity For You Dear Guest, Recently, on select Celebrity Cruises® sailings we introduced a new dining option offering Le Grand Bistro for dinner. We are pleased to announce that your upcoming sailing will now offer this new experience, and we've updated the menus to reflect an exquisite, one-of-a kind, French cuisine. Your meal may include mouthwatering steak frites, delicious wild mushroom tarts, and a traditional French staple, Bouillabaisse. Plus, our restaurant offers a romantic bistro environment! Additionally, as we introduce this new evening option, we've updated the schedule for when Le Petit ChefSM will be available on your sailing. As a result, we've cancelled and refunded your current Le Petit Chef reservation and kindly ask that you rebook on another available evening. We apologize for any inconvenience and disruption to your plans. To book dining reservations for either venue, please visit the Celebrity Cruises App or book online at My Celebrity Cruises. If you have any questions, please contact your Travel Advisor or contact us at:¿ (800) 722-5941 U.S. International guests please find your local Celebrity Cruises® office here: Contact Us We appreciate your understanding and look forward to sailing with you soon! Sincerely, Celebrity Cruises © Celebrity Cruises. Use of our websites, mobile application(s), kiosks, and other digital platforms are subject to our Terms of Use. You are receiving this email because you are booked on a Celebrity Cruises cruise. This email is informational only. Be sure to save Celebrity Cruises Express Notification Alerts and [email protected] to your contacts, to ensure you receive all the important updates regarding your booking. ©2024 Celebrity Cruises. Ships' Registry: Malta Celebrity Cruises 1050 Caribbean Way, Miami, FL 33132 1-800-280-3423 I logged in and Le Grand Bistro evening menu and pricing are not detailed/available. Le Petit Chef's new schedule is not available.

Also - Old school here. But, I cannot recall a time when a royal/celebrity inop app made me cry, or get frustrated. The app will never impact my cruise_cation and fruity drinks on the beach. Once on the ship, the fun is mostly my responsibility.

Assuming this is the southbound Radiance OTS, the land tour will end at Seward. We had most of the day to explore Seward before getting on the ship. Some recommendations: 1) go early to explore the city on your own before the land tour starts, 2) if tour includes Alyeska (Girdwood) get dining reservations at Seven Glaciers Restaurant (stunning views with good food), 3) if includes Talkeetna, the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge has a wonderful patio space which on a clear day has Denali views (breath taking), 4) Cinnamon Rolls at Talkeetna Roadhouse (delicious), and 5) if in Anchorage, recommend Jens' Restaurant and Snow City Cafe (breakfast). Confession- I am a foodie. I navigate by restaurants.

For consideration. We loved the specialty restaurants on Celebrity. I am assuming you are not retreat level (if so, getting reservations at the times you want will not be an issue - plus the Luminae is awesome). For my March 2025 celebrity cruise, I was able to reserve my 3 specialty restaurants at the times I wanted by individual purchases. I caught different sales - alleviated all worries with late dinners and show/entertainment conflicts. Surprisingly, not that much more than the dining package. Be aware of "special dining experiences." On our Apex cruise, we were able to purchase a Veuve Clicquot (our favorite champagne vineyard) pairing dinner. We were blown away. Enjoy!!!!

Follow up comment. I used Celebrity to book my hotel and saved additional money. https://www.celebritycruises.com/hotels

Based on an early flight arrival time in 2024, I treated it as a vacation day and splurged with a stay at Marriott Harbor Beach Resort. We had a great time. My next cruise, we are at the Hilton Marina; Airport (free) and cruise port (fee) shuttles available. The Hilton cost is very reasonable.

I second @SebagoSue on the Rooftop Garden Grill as one of the three.

Totally agree! As a side note - somewhat off topic; return SDF flights options seem to be limited. My initial look is a Monday return flight saves money when compared to Sunday flight prices (factoring in the expense for an extra day stay in FLL). Wondering if this is more common for others departing from Lauderdale?

Bmac, thanks for your review and thoughts. We booked AquaClass for our next cruise too. After much debate, I upgraded the Classic drink package to the Premium package - Not only for the cocktail price points, but the Spa smoothies/juices. I was glad to see your reinforcing opinion. BTW, the X mobile app and the website could not process the upgrade. The error was a member of my party is not eligible (age - great compliment, but over 4 decades wrong). I called the X help desk and it was resolved in 30 minutes. Considering your Day 1 Blu opening time comment, we will book a specialty restaurant for DAY 1.

Celebrity Ascent, March 2025: Puerto Plata, St Thomas, & St Maarten. Just booked it yesterday. This will be our second Celebrity cruise.

All of the above, but we put our cash in multiple places. No single point for a total loss.

Excursions booked. One excursion that we are looking forward to is the "Sunset Schooner Cruise" in Aruba.

My wife and I broke from tradition this year with a Celebrity cruise. We are back to Royal. We are looking forward to a few "firsts" with this cruise: Quantum Class and new islands. We welcome any excursion recommendations or ship "secrets."

Early. Like.

Totally agree with previous posts about what RCL could do concerning border security. Unlike Delta Airlines, Cruiselines offer experiences by docking at different countries. My expectation is monitoring trends that may interfere with that paid experience. If common problems at particular Ports were trending, I would try to manage expectations and see if there could be a preventable measure (maybe a simple warning or do/don't list for Customs at a particular port). Another benefit from trend monitoring could be the drafting future port support agreements. Making great memories during a RCL cruise means higher profits.