Thursday, October 22, 2015

Your My Celebrity Account, Documentation, Registration, Shore Excursions and Such

 IMPORTANT:
Celebrity’s proof of citizenship policy states that all passengers must provide required travel documents at embarkation. Any guest traveling without proper documentation will not be allowed to board the vessel and no refund will be issued. 

Proof of Citizenship: A valid passport is required; the expiration date should not occur within six (6) months of the sailing termination date.

Under provisions of the Border Security Act, enacted by the US Government, cruise lines must provide the government with key personal information on all guests in advance of sailing. The easiest way for you to provide this information is to go to Celebrity’s website at www.celebritycruises.com ; click on “My Celebrity” and register.  Then you can log in to your reservation & follow the instructions to complete your online check-in, browse and book shore excursions, specialty restaurant reservations, spa reservations, etc.  You will need your reservation number, which is on your booking confirmation, last name, ship's name (Silhouette), sail date (08/06/2016), and English (as your preferred language).  This should ensure that your embarkation process is easy and efficient. 

SHORE EXCURSIONS
You can browse and book Celebrity shore excursions online by logging into your “My Celebrity” account, which you created to complete your online registration.  Note that excursions can also be purchased onboard the ship from the Shore Excursions Desk.  The primary reason to book your excursions in advance is that more popular tours may sell out prior to sailing.  It’s important to note that “if the bus breaks down & you miss the boat”, Celebrity will only wait for you if you are on one of the Celebrity excursions.

Note that, in most  instances, you can change or cancel an online booked excursion prior to 10 days before the sailing or you can cancel on board at least 24 hours  in advance of the tour departure time from the ship.

For technical assistance purchasing Shore and Land excursions, you can call 
Celebrity, 1-800-722-5941.

 **Please note the above information is a guide, the cruise line can update or change their website at anytime.  

Celebrity's Classic and Premium Beverage Packages Info



Thoughts and Information on Celebrity’s Beverage Packages
With Celebrity’s Classic and Premium Beverage packages, you can only order one drink at a time in the bars.  In the restaurants, we found that they just scanned our card once and then kept our glasses refilled.  The sommelier often left bottles of wine on the table for us to enjoy, once we had made our wine choices.  You can order drinks in all of the restaurants, bars, and lounges. 


If you purchase the Classic package and wish to have a beverage that is over your limit, then you pay the entire cost.  With the Premium package, if you want to order a beverage that is over your limit, you only pay the difference.  If you already have the Classic Beverage Package on your reservation as an included “perk”, you have the option to upgrade to the Premium package for $11.80 per person per day. (For this 14 night cruise, the cost to upgrade is $165.20 per person).  You can do this in advance or once onboard the ship.

Here is information from Celebrity’s website regarding the Classic and Premium Beverage Packages. 

Classic Package
The Classic Package includes beer up to $6.00 per serving, spirits, cocktails, and frozen drinks priced up to $8.00 per serving, and wine up to $9.00 per serving (all per single serving) and the non-alcoholic beverages listed below. The following are examples of brands that are currently priced within the Classic Package. Please note that drink prices are subject to change at any time without prior notice and the brands listed below are not guaranteed to be included in the Classic Package.
 
Non- Alcoholic
Espresso, Cappuccino, Latte, Premium Coffees and teas, Fountain soda selections, Fresh and bottled juices, non-premium bottled water.
 
Beers
Bud Light, Budweiser, Coors Lite, Miller Lite,  Heineken Light, Heineken, Corona, Corona Light
Alaska- Alaskan Amber, Alaskan Brewing Pale Ale, Alaskan Brewing IPA
UK - John Smith's Extra Smooth, Marston's Pedigree Ale
 
Spirits
Vodka
Smirnoff, Absolut, Absolut Flavors, Stolichnaya, Stoli Flavors
Gin
House Gin, Beefeater, Gordon's, Tanqueray
Tequila
Jose Cuervo Blanco, Cazadores Blanco, Cuervo Gold,
Cazadores Resposado

Scotch
Cutty Sark, Chivas, Glenfiddich, Bell's, Johnny Walker Red, Dewars White Label, J&B
Bourbon/Brandy
Jim Beam, Martell VS, Jack Daniels
Rum
Bacardi, Bacardi Flavors, Myer's, Malibu, Bacardi Oakheart Spiced Rum, Bacardi 8,
Canadian Whiskey
Canadian Club, Seagram 7, Seagram VO, Crown Royal
Aperitifs/Cordials
Campari, Amaretto, Frangelico, Kahlua, Tia Maria, Pimms 1, Limoncello, Cointreau, Chambord, Bailey's Irish Cream, Drambuie
Wines
Celebrity Cruises will continue to offer a large global assortment of red, white and sparkling wines by the glass.
As of 10/23/15

Premium Package
The Premium Package includes beer, spirits, cocktails, frozen drinks, and wine by the glass up to $13.00 per serving (all per single serving) and the non-alcoholic beverages listed below. The following are examples of brands that are currently priced within the Premium Package. Please note that drink prices are subject to change at any time without prior notice and the brands listed below are not guaranteed to be included in the Premium Package.
 
Non- Alcoholic
Fountain soda selections, Fresh and bottled juices, Premium coffees and teas, Premium bottled purified water, Vitamin water, Red Bull 
Beers
Bud Light, Budweisier, Coors Lite, Miller Lite, Heineken Light, Heineken, Corona, Corona Light, Blue Moon, Red Stripe, Sam Adams, Dos Equis,, Guinness Stout, Newcastle Ale, Stella Artois, Sierra Nevada. In UK – John Smith’s Extra Smooth.  

Spirits
 
Vodka
Smirnoff, Absolut, Absolut Flavors, Stolichnaya, , Stoli Flavors, Ketel One, Belvedere, Grey Goose, Ciroc, Hangar, Russian Standard, Chopin
Gin
Beefeater, Gordon's, Tanqueray, Bombay Sapphire, Hendrick's, Plymouth English Gin, Tanqueray 10 Batch Distilled
Tequila
Jose Cuervo Blanco, Jose Cuervo Gold, Cazadores Blanco, Cazadores Resposado, Cazadores Anejo ,Tequila Patron Silver, Patron Reposado, Patron XO Café, Don Julio Blanco
Scotch
Cutty Sark, Bell's, Chivas, Dewar's White Label, J&B, Johnnie Walker Red, Jameson, Glenlivet,  Lagavulin, Laphroaig, Macallan, Highland Park
Bourbon/Brandy
Jim Beam, Martell VS, Jack Daniels, Jack Daniels Honey, Knob Creek, Basil Hayden, Woodford Reserve, Courvoisier VSOP, Remy Martin VSOP
Rum
Bacardi, Bacardi Flavors, Myer's, Malibu, Bacardi Oakheart Spiced Rum, Bacardi 8, Barbancourt Mount Gay, Pyratt XO, Flor de Cana, Ron Zacapa
Canadian Whiskey
Canadian Club, Seagram 7, Seagram VO, Crown Royal
Aperitifs/Cordials Campari, Pimms 1, Amaretto, Frangelico, Kahlua, Tia Maria, Cointreau, Chambord, Drambuie, Bailey’s Irish Cream, Grand Marnier, St. Germain
Wines
Celebrity Cruises will continue to offer a large global assortment of red, white and sparkling wines by the glass.
As of 10/23/15

Liverpool Beatles Ale Trail Tour

I've tentatively booked this small group tour in Liverpool and will make a deposit to confirm it if I have enough interest.

Beatles Ale Trail tour in Liverpool 
This is a combination walking tour with 'thirst' stops en route. We will visit up to 5 Beatles related pubs (with leisurely walks in between) as Jackie, our guide, regales the tales of the Fab Four in their formative years. This is a light hearted fun tour; courtesy demands that we buy a drink in each pub (Jackie is not on commission from the pubs; it’s just the proper thing to do).   This "ale trail" photo is from Jackie's website.


Jackie will meet us at the pier and we will begin the tour at 11 am, with our first stop at the famous Cavern Club.  Here’s just a bit of history from the Cavern Club:
February 9, 1961:  The Beatles first performance at the Cavern Club featured John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe with Pete Best on drums.  The Beatles soon established themselves as the Cavern Club’s signature act. It became the place where their musical identity was forged and many of their fans maintain the band was its best during those lunchtime gigs, learning stagecraft through the exchanges with the audience only inches away. The band were always nostalgic about the Cavern.
We’ll have lunch around 12:30 at the Philharmonic for some great pub food!
Our tour will conclude around 3 pm, leaving you time to explore more of Liverpool on your own if you wish, or head back to the ship.
Pricing is 160 pounds for the tour; so per person pricing will be determined by the number who book this tour.  There IS a maximum capacity, so please let me know if you want to join us!

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Amsterdam Foodie Tour



Oh how excited I am to revisit Amsterdam!  I’ve only been there once and didn’t have nearly enough time in this wonderful city.  So, I’ve booked us for 3 nights prior to our cruise so that we can see and do much more.  As you may have determined (or not), I am a foodie!  So, of course, I found and booked a food tour!

Foodie tour – booked with Eating Amsterdam Tours:
 (photo from Eating Amsterdam Tours website)

This tour was written up in the New York Times and gets rave reviews on Tripadvisor.  I am a foodie and have taken food tours in several cities and those were always a highlight.  I just booked this one and just wanted to share the information in the event any of you are interested. As we are staying in Amsterdam for three nights prior to the cruise, I booked it for our second day in Amsterdam, August 4.

Here’s the website link to the tour that I booked:  It’s the Jordaan food and canal tour (through Eating Amsterdam Tours) and I booked it for Thursday, August 4 at 11 am.  These are small group tours with a maximum of 12 people.

Click here for a link to the NY Times blog entry:

As you can still see, I am really excited about this trip!
 

Sunday, August 16, 2015

British Isles 2016: Castles, Lochs, Tattoo, and More!



 
If your dreams of travel include a British Isles cruise to cities, isles, and shores of legends, this may be the cruise for you!   I cruised the British Isles a few years ago and that was one of my favorite cruises; this itinerary is slightly different so I jumped right onboard!  The cruise from August 6-20, 2016, is a 14 day Signature Event sailing on Celebrity Silhouette to the British Isles that includes an overnight in Edinburgh during the world renowned Military Tattoo.   The cruise is roundtrip from Amsterdam and we will visit St. Peter Port, Guernsey; Cork and Dublin, Ireland; Belfast, Northern Ireland; Liverpool, England; Shetland, Inverness, and Edinburgh, Scotland, and Bruges, Belgium.  If you’re a Diana Gabaldon Outlander fan (which I am), you will have the opportunity to see many of the Scottish sights depicted in her Outlander books and Starz series.  If you're a Game of Thrones fan, you will see some of filming location sights in Scotland and Northern Ireland.  What's not to like about this cruise?  Fish and chips, steak and ale pie, castles, lochs, folklore, myth, and legend, beautiful scenery, and the list goes on!



14 Day British Isles Cruise August 6-20, 2016
Celebrity Cruises:  Celebrity Silhouette
Note that this cruise includes an overnight in Edinburgh, Scotland during the Military Tattoo! 
Sat. Aug   6
Amsterdam, Netherlands – depart 5 pm
Sun. Aug  7
At Sea
Mon. Aug  8
St. Peter Port, Channel Isl. 7 am – 4 pm
Tue. Aug  9
Cork (Cobh), Ireland  10 am – 7 pm
Wed. Aug 10
Dublin,  Ireland  6:30 am – 6:45 pm
Thu.  Aug 11
Liverpool, England  8 am – 8 pm
Fri. Aug  12
Belfast, Northern Ireland  10 am – 6 pm
Sat. Aug  13
At Sea
Sun. Aug  14
Lerwick/Shetland, Scotland  7 am – 5 pm
Mon. Aug  15
Inverness/Loch Ness, Scotland  8 am – 6 pm
Tue. Aug  16
Edinburgh, Scotland  Arrive 11 am and overnight
Wed. Aug  17
Edinburgh, Scotland  Depart 11:59 pm
Thu.  Aug  18
At Sea
 Fri. Aug  19
Bruges, (Zeebrugge), Belgium  8 am – 4 pm
Sat. Aug  20
Amsterdam, Netherlands  Arrive 6 am