Host Anne

That's because the snarky comments were removed so they are no longer visible. Many people respond to them regularly which just makes it more difficult to monitor.

The OP was specially asking about non-suite cabins. Many on this thread have pointed out that suites have regular balconies with sliding doors. The OP noted that those were not in her budget. Hence my response on "regular" cabins with sliding doors. 😉

Yep.....you can go to any of the four "main dining rooms" on the E-class ships at any time. It's actually one thing I really like about the E-class ships!

Hi everyone ~ I left this thread in Celebrity's forum because we are all Celebrity cruisers trying to help one another out....and this thread has definitely done that. Thanks to all who were helpful. But do me a favor...do not respond to snarky posts. Simply hit the three dots ... next to the # at the top of every post and hit REPORT! That sends the hosts a message and makes it much easier for us to address things quickly. THANKS and happy cruising!

To answer Isabella's original question, sadly there are not other stateroom categories with a "regular" veranda beyond the Sunset Verandas on the Edge Class ship. Why they would put 4 regular verandas on Xcel is beyond me. I refer to the IVs as a cabin with a "bus window." We stayed in one once and never again. It isn't for us. There are multiple things about I don't care for but if we are going on an Edge class ship, we book early so we can secure a Sunset Veranda. I still personally prefer the S-class ships where there are plenty of regular, old fashion verandas to choose from. We have begun sailing other lines for more veranda options as well. No complaints here. We just prefer a traditional veranda. OK...it does bother me that they call the IVs "verandas" when they really aren't but its their ship and they can call them whatever they like. We choose not to book them. Isabella, you do need to book very early if you want a Sunset Veranda and there those cost more now as well since there are a limited number of those.

Tobinator ~ As Northern Aurora noted, the place to look for excursions you can join is on the roll call for your sailing. Here's a link directly to the roll call (I suggest starting with the last two or three pages since this is a long roll call). Good luck finding excursions. Iceland is an AMAZING place. ENJOY!

LOIS !!!! How wonderful to see your name pop up again. I'll be very anxious to hear how your cruise goes and what you think of Bermuda. We're doing the same sailing in July. I have no doubt that you'll have a wonderful cruise. First, I know you are a positive, glass half-full kind of person. There have definitely been changes but like everything else in life today, much has changed after the pandemic. You pay more for less and that applies to cruising as well. But I've always said it's about expectations. After reading through this thread, I think your expectations will be in good shape. I think you are in the best spot on the ship....a Sunset Sky Suite. I could stay there for a week and be VERY happy! Many of the things posted on this thread are true but as you know, food is subjective and I've been reading that the quality has been improving since a really low spot not long ago. Food isn't a determining factor for us. We had some terrific food years ago on some sailings. It's good to remember that every sailing and peoples opinions vary. We haven't sailed Celebrity in over a year but do have several other Celebrity cruises booked. We have been on multiple lines since cruising returned to service back in 2021. Our favorite (by far) is Windstar. We've sailed with them twice and both times were outstanding and are sailing Queen Anne in August to the Norwegian Fjords. I think we all know things have changed and have to determine how much the changes bother us personally if continuing to cruise. What I don't care for is when there are nasty posts here on Cruise Critic. Apologies that your first post back in awhile here on Celebrity had some less than pleasant responses. As for everyone else, there will be no additional discussion on tipping in this thread. I think Lois has gotten sufficient responses. Wishing you a wonderful cruise, Lois. Thanks for coming back to the Celebrity board.

jimb ~ I am so sorry to read of your loss. Sincere condolences. The first thing I would do is carefully read your Cruise Care policy. It is underwritten by Arch Insurance (according to Celebrity's website) but you contact Aon if you were going to file a claim. Therefore after reading the policy, I'd reach out to Ion first, not Celebrity. The policy should tell you who to contact. You should figure out what the insurance will cover first and ask them to advise you on dealing with the cruise line. I've never had to use my travel insurance before but I'd bet that Celebrity would tell you to call Aon. You paid for the cruise for both of you; you have insurance that covers the loss of a spouse so the insurance company would need to explain how it works since you still want to go on the cruise. I wouldn't show up at the port and not have this worked out because I wouldn't want to have to explain to port workers that my spouse passed away and risk losing any insurance coverage you would have. If you wouldn't mind, please come back and let us know how this works out. It would be useful information for other members. Again, I am very sorry for your loss. I hope this cruise with your family brings more joy than sadness and wonderful memories of your time with your spouse.

You can definitely switch your cabin. Call Celebrity since you booked with them. Or cancel it and rebook.

Clark ~ I'm with your wife....I tend to be claustrophobic (got stuck for a long time in an overcrowded elevator a few years back). I've been in an IV once and it's not for us. For me, it's really like a bus window (although larger). And yes, we did have the bridge close the window once on our cruise for window washing. For me, the window is slow to close and can be a bit noisy. A/C does go off in the cabin when the window is open. Your wife would likely be more comfortable in a regular balcony but those are few and far between on Edge-class ships. Good luck!

One of the good things about the Beach Club is that they limit the number of passes they sell per day. Worked well for us. Sadly, I will pay for quiet.

We've been three times. The first time we spent the day at Chill Island. It was peaceful and quiet and we spent the day in the water on a float. The second time we bought the Beach Club Pass. We enjoyed it. Again, relatively quiet and the food at lunch was outstanding. The most recent time we were with a large group and spend the day at South Beach. It was relatively quiet but it was a pretty gloomy day (rained all morning). Hideaway Beach is a new area of the island. We didn't go there on a recent visit. While the beach and water look lovely, the chairs I'm seeing in photos are awful (and different from other beaches on the island). They don't lay flat (they bounce) nor do they sit up straight. I can't sit in them and avoid them whenever possible. Note that the center of the island where the waterpark and other features are can get crazy .... we avoid that section. There is lots of complimentary food on the island and I would guess that the drink package will be honored on the island like it is for Royal. Overall, we think it's the best private island of all the cruise lines. You can find the type of area that suits you best. ENJOY!

dlapel ~ this isn't a dumb question at all. If you are above the dining section of a restaurant (marked Tuscan Grille, Blu, Qsine and Murano below) you likely won't hear noise. If you are on the port side of the ship above the big empty space between Murano and Blu, that's the galley and an area that you could hear noise at night as marycrus mentioned above. Years ago I learned my lesson about only booking cabins that have a deck of cabins below and above us. I was on Century (long gone) with my daughter and we were directly under the gym. There was early morning constant noise from an exercise class. It was the last time we were below a public deck. If you can locate your cabin on the deck plan, you should be able to determine what's directly under you. Enjoy your cruise!

Here's your ship during sunset on Saturday Feb. 3 after leaving Ft. Lauderdale

For those sailing on Apex on February 3, here's a shot of the ship as the sun set on Saturday evening. I was onboard Sky Princess. Loved seeing Apex throughout the week. Hope everyone had a great cruise!