TourDeCruise

Was your cruise the December 10th Ascent cruise? And you will be on the January 8th Beyond cruise? We are heading up to Retreat right after boarding and putting luggage in cabin and see if they upcharge for Mer Soleil. If so, the Steel Chardonnay is good and on the Premium package and we have a few more wines that we like too on the Premium package without an upcharge.

Jean Luc Colombo rose which is $17, included with Premium package, is dry.

We will be on Beyond on January 8th and will see if there are surcharges in Retreat. Mer Soleil is our usual Chardonnay onboard. We were able to get it in the Retreat on the Ascent Maiden Voyage without a surcharge (only had at beginning of cruise in Retreat) but were surcharged $2 in all restaurants on the sailing. Which Rose? I had the Jean Luc Colombo Rose (hope I have the name right) that I enjoyed; it was priced at $17.

This is the one we are waiting to be released so we can make a decision between this one or a couple other different options. So far, we have not seen it released for booking. We did get to see the itinerary when we were on the Ascent earlier this month, but the itinerary could change given they still have not released the cruise for booking.

We just got off the Ascent Maiden Voyage. They were charging us $2.00 per glass per person plus 20% gratuity for our go-to Mer Soliel chardonnay. $4.80 for two of us for one glass each. Some wines that we enjoyed and with no upcharge were Bordeaux Blend red, California Blend red, Layer Cake red, Jean Luc Colombo Rose, Selbach Reisling, Steel Chardonnay, Grenache, and Elegance Kendall Jackson Chardonnay. Not a fan of Malbec Tapiz. Malbec Alta Vista okay. I am a little pickier for Malbec wines which I really like but the ones I like are going to be way above the Premium limit. Opulence Chardonnay was $25 a glass but $8 above the Premium package limit.

We just returned from the Dec. 3rd Ascent Maiden Voyage. We wanted to book the Xcel inaugural cruise b2b with the cruise that follows BUT it would require us to fly during the Thanksgiving holiday week and we are not going to do that. Instead, we booked Xcel for December 7th, 2025. I think the itinerary is Bimini, Cozumel, and Grand Cayman. We really do not care what the itinerary is. We are going for the ship and cruising, not the itinerary. We have been to Bimini once and many times to the Yucatan (many cruises and 2 land trips) and Grand Cayman. Looking forward to everyone else's getting off the ship in the ports, so we can enjoy the ship with few people onboard. We love the Edge-class ships.

Congratulations on becoming Elite! We just got off the Ascent Maiden Voyage. We have also been on Beyond and Apex, and the Hall of Mirrors walkway to Eden on Ascent is the best yet.

I have always referred to the hall as the funhouse too!

Thank you, Georgia Peaches, for a very enjoyable and informative Live report! And thanks to others who contributed too such as twins_to_alaska. I appreciate the time you took to share your experiences and photos and answer questions. We will be onboard the Maiden Voyage in 5 days, so I am very appreciative. Safe travels tomorrow.

The Concierge lunch is for Concierge Class guests and Zenith members (highest Captain's Club tier) only. If you are in a suite, your embarkation lunch will be in Luminae.

I will try it then as well as Conundrum. Thanks for the recommendations. Boarding Ascent with Premium package on Sunday. If we have to pay the difference on either or both, that is fine. We like Mer Soleil Chardonnay and Bordeau Blend. We don't like heavy red wines or sweet wines although a dry Reisling is fine.

Is it a sweet wine?

You are aware of the Concierge lunch on embarkation day, right?

We primarily do Aqua Class and lunch was never offered except for special events such as a Zenith lunch; however, I read in a few advertising articles that Blu would have an outdoor dining area on Ascent that is available for dining and it did mention lunch too. I will be on Ascent a week from today, so I will check.

Maybe it will open by the December 3rd Maiden Voyage. I will check. Not good. Why have the room if it is not going to work?

Blu supposedly has an outdoor area for eating on Ascent. Does anyone know if the outdoor area is open for lunch on sea days or just breakfast and possibly dinner? If open for lunch, can anyone go there or just Aqua Class guests? Any cost associated with Blu lunch if available? On the other ships, there is no outdoor Blu area and no lunch in Blu at all, except for special events.

You could talk to the Retreat team, but I am not sure if they will help you with reservations or arrangements. What we usually do is just go to Blu on a day when we particularly like the menu and talk to the maître d' or host/hostess to see if there is an available table. We usually book Aqua Class through as we prefer the lighter Aqua Class menu to the heavier Luminae menu, plus we get the Thermal Spa access.

Please let us know about Retreat Lounge and pictures if not too much trouble. Also, when you leave Retreat Lounge and go outside to the track I think just forward of Retreat Lounge but outdoors, what is the small outdoor area by the stairs? Is it a public area with lounge chairs or with tables and chairs? Or is it an extension of the Retreat Lounge to make an outdoor Retreat area?

Does the salt room work? It worked on Apex, and you could see salt spray on the benches and "taste" it. On Beyond, it did nothing. Slightly warm but no salt spray on the benches or in the air.

I understand. An officer asked me what my favorite place was on Beyond, and I said the jogging track. He looked at me like I was crazy. He said what about the Grand Foyer. I replied it is beautiful, but I really like the track. lol.

I thought about that later that is what you might have meant as I had the same question. I saw her reply. I will try to look for it the next time we are there. Cozumel isn't on any of our booked cruises though, so it will be a while.

She said Cozumel.

For 2 people in cabin or per person? Too many other cruises and land tours that are of interest. We shall see if the desired cruise will be deployed and what the price is of course.

Thanks for the warning!

We are still hoping for Boston to Boston with Greenland for September 2025.We would consider an Oceanview, Balcony, or Junior Suite if that itinerary is similar for 2025 as it is for 2024 on Jewel. I looked at the Brillance deck plan. It looks like all Junior Suites are aft and mid-ship on deck 10. Is that correct? None are forward cabins? And all are on deck 10? The reason I ask is we would consider a Junior Suite guarantee if we know we would not be assigned a forward Junior Suite (prefer aft but mid-ship okay too).