Honolulu Blue

Others have covered the lying-around-by-the-pool scene and the sit-on-your-balcony-and-watch-the-sea-go-by scene better than I could. Those aren't things I like to do, IMHO. I've done a couple of dozen cruises, so I guess I count as "seasoned". I prefer that to "sunbaked". Here's how I pass the sea days: The cruise lines have an impressive number of activities all over the ship, so be sure to check your daily newsletter. There's trivia, lectures, music, bingo, art auctions, and many other things. The casino will be open, so if that's your thing, head on down and partake Your cabin TV will have some VOD options - some free, some not free. There are worse things to do on a cruise than while away a few hours watching a movie, IMHO. I don't judge. This varies widely by line, so YMMV. I like bringing my own entertainment - books and videos are much easier to deal with when you don't have to download them on the road The old salts may wag their fingers, but you CAN buy Internet access on most ships and sometimes it DOES work well enough to stream entertainment things. If random surfing is your idea of entertainment, it'll almost certainly be good enough for that. If not, then you can entertain yourself by walking down to Guest Services (or whatever it's called), listening to their excuses, and getting a refund. 😁

4.6 star average review from 37k reviewers! They obviously didn't ask us! 😄

On my last cruise on the Millie in November, my best guess is that the ratio was flipped - 800-ish crew, 1000-ish passengers. But it's only a guess as neither count was ever announced publicly (that I'm aware of) and I didn't ask anyone. Of the three Celebrity cruises I have taken since the restart, the passenger count was only publicly announced once. I never heard the crew total on any of them.

Thanks for sharing. 1. For a long time after the restart, Princess was completely crew served in the buffet. This was true on my last cruise in April on the Majestic. I'm curious when they stopped and went to self-serve. 2. I THINK you mean that the comedians had the same act in each of their separate shows, but my alternative interpretation that the DIFFERENT comedians had the SAME material amused me. Yes, I'm 12. 🤣

I think they like to reply by phone from LLP's office for whatever reason. I also prefer e-mail, so I hope you get what you want. Please keep us posted either way.

Thanks for the perspective and the heads up on Julie. I'm pretty sure I haven't met her or been on one of her ships.

It was slick the way they did it for us - end show, entertainers receive applause, quickly get off stage, and then comes the CD who introduced the Captain, who introduced the rest of the officers. I'm sure people left during this introduction, but it's almost as if it was part of the show. Here's a picture of part of how it worked:

I'll discuss my experience on the Millennium in November. Our introduction to the Captain and the other top officers was done on the second night in the main theater after the production show.

I was on the Millennium in November. Masks and vaccinations were not required. Answering your questions: 1. I saw a few staff wearing masks - maybe 10% overall 2. I estimate that 1-2% of passengers were wearing masks 3. We didn't have an outbreak

My fear is that one of my favorite vloggers is going to try to "roll that beautiful bean footage". 🤮

Thanks for sharing the extra details. My cruise on the Millie was 7 days.

I don't disagree with you. The one consolation is that Starlink is coming to all Celebrity ships eventually - some already have it, with speeds far faster than I experienced.

It varied a lot for me, but generally it was between 1 and 4 Mbps. Streaming actually worked for me when I tried it. But I didn't do too much of that. Email and random surfing was fine.

I didn't see the extortionate rates that @Jim_Iainposted on my last cruise on the Millie in November. Rates for that cruise stayed at $25 for an hour and $50 for 24 hours. The full cruise rate dropped for every day that went by. I actually got a nice offer midway through. YMMV. Take a look:

I've found that most cruise lines organize a date and time for solo travelers which is published in the newsletter. Some have multiple gatherings on different days throughout a cruise. They're rarely staffed with cruise line personnel.

Fun note... I was on a Princess cruise with Don back in 2021 (Regal), but I didn't know until we were halfway through it. This wasn't one of his group cruises. Anyway, 2023 cruises for me: February - Celebrity Summit (music themed charter) March - RCCL Navigator OTS (music themed charter) April - Ruby Princess (80s themed cruise) November - Carnival Magic

I sailed on Princess once in 2022 - on the Majestic Princess up and down the California coast in April. I did three other cruises in '22, not on Princess.

A couple of notes, then I'll get out of here: 1. Just after the restart, Royal Caribbean closed the dinner buffet on most of their ships until the number of passengers they had consistently reached 50% of capacity. Most of the ships Royal used then had other casual options and only had the late-night charge for room service. 2. In reviewing my newsletters from my cruise on the Millie in November, I found the problem with a cut down service at the OVC. Here's the full list of dining options other than the buffet after 5 PM on that list: Pool grill (only open until 6) Luminae and Blu (they don't let riffraff like me in either of those places ☹️) Sushi on Five, Le Petit Chef, and Tuscan Grille (all extra cost) Room service (no fee then, but I assume it's coming soon fleetwide) The MDR So... if the buffet cuts down its offerings, it seems to me that Celebrity is pushing people to either head to the MDR or pay up for a decent dinner. I always thought that Celebrity had the best selection of meal items and the best food quality of the mainstream cruise lines I've sailed on. Now they're relying on food quality and hoping that I like what they decide to offer. Maybe it'll work, but I'd rather they didn't do this.

I've found that, on all the cruise lines I've used (including Princess), they've been accurate about when they get to port, when they're cleared for passengers to disembark, and if there's a delay or cancellation, they've always relayed that information in a timely fashion. Moving specifically to Princess, I've found the port times announced is usually when they arrive; it can take 15-30 minutes to get the clearance to get off. Onboard times have been universally half an hour before departure time for docked ports. Because of these items, you'll be in port for less time than you think. A couple of things... some ship excursions in some ports meet prior to docking or tendering and get off the ship before the official "all clear". And for tenders (not ports with docks), higher status passengers can choose a tender that leaves earlier. I hope this information was of help to you.

I sent an e-mail to StarVista Live's customer service, and it's official - no UDC for 2024. ☹️ I wonder about the factors that caused this decision. I wonder if there will be a replacement that I can pledge my loyalty to instead. I wonder what that replacement, if any, will be about. I wonder what they will sell at the future cruise booth. In better news, the online schedule and Celebrity booking number (so I can peruse the available excursions, among other things) are both scheduled to be released late this month.

(scribble, scribble, scribble). Making a note of this for future reference. The Journey view didn't work for me at all on my last Princess cruise on the Majestic in April. What you've said will help me on my next Princess cruise in three months. Thanks!

Thanks for sharing. Their response to you was generic corporate gobbledygook. At least they didn't deny what they're apparently doing. I have a trip on the Summit in about 7 weeks. I expect a well-stocked buffet, because 1) the charter company I assume paid for it months or years ago, and 2) the crowd I'm sailing with demands and deserves such. If this is not provided, I'll fire off an email to LLP. Otherwise, I'll hold my fire and let others fight this fight.

I've used the cell phone and my cell service from the cabin while in port many times, so I'm pretty sure this is untrue. It does give me a chance to use a couple of phrases that seem applicable - one recent and trendy ("fake news") and one old and dusty ("old wives' tale"),

The UDC made a couple of announcements while my back was turned. First, they announced that France Joli couldn't make it, but they would be replaced by The Ritchie Family. Neither of them move the needle for me. Second, they announced the theme nights for this cruise. I'll quote their rep, who posted this in their FB page: You’ve been asking...so we’re delivering! See below for the theme nights on The 2023 Ultimate Disco Cruise! We can’t wait to see all your incredible outfits! Sunday the 26th - Sequins and Silks -- Time to Dress To Impress! Go overboard on your authentic 1970s fashion and style – grab the sequins, press the silks and don’t forget those killer stilettos! Monday the 27th - Saturday Night Fever: It’s a Monday on the calendar but its Saturday Night Fever onboard the Celebrity Summit! Tuesday the 28th - Caribbean Queen Night: Get out of my dreams, get onto the dance floor! Billy Ocean is in the Main Theater this night so let’s celebrate his calypso background with Caribbean attire with Disco flair. Wednesday the 1st – White Night: A simple concept with a big impact… we hope to see you in ALL white attire from head to toe as we close out our celebration of the disco era. Let's see... Caribbean Night should be easy, and now we know when and where Billy will be performing. White Night is doable (especially if you accept khaki as white; true white pants have been scarce in Michigan since 1980), but the principle offends me. SNF & S&S are challenging; looks like I'll have to skip those. Sorry guys!

It sounds nonsensical, but on Princess I think you can do it. Those medallions have at least one good use. 😁