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So, our cards for first part of our b2b had not arrived to our cabinā¦. Mr asked for them yesterday. No cards on our door during todayā¦ So at 19.00 we asked again in the retreatš£ Well, hereās the problemā¦ since we didnāt stay in the retreat last part of our b2bā¦. They donāt have the cards in their possessionā¦. So after some phones and Physical movement, the cards arrived in the retreatš¤© we just sat down on a sofa with a pre dinner drinkš so no sorrow for usš They had our cards in guest relationsš We are satisfied and have our cruise cards for both cruises in handšš»šš» After the search of cruise cards we decided to go for dinner at 20.00. We arrived during rush hours. But we had plenty of timeš So no stressš We had a table on I-95 but not an awful location. The most bothersome is people unpacking or packing plates and cutlery. Todayās menu: Chefs delight:
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There are now bad weatherš itās just bad clothesš So we went to the retreat pool deck. It was only a super light drizzle and it slowly cleared upš We sat in the gray sun and enjoyed ourselves. This is a day you get mega lobster š¦ if you think the light is not sharp. (Believe me, the uv is outš) We took a dip in the pools, the gelato walk served cassis gelatoš Cheers to a great holiday š„ Around 15.15 we decided that it was time to go inside. We took a Clark-Kent and went for some afternoon tea and pick up the passportsš Will really miss the opportunity to sit outside in shorts and a light shirt šā¦ its a long time until next timeš„¶š We asked for our cruise cards from last sailing yesterday. They have still not arrivedā¦. (We always need to deliver them to the gangway and then they return them back) we want our cards to our stack of cards š Now itās time for me to do luggage š§³ Mr will have a last date by the ducks š¦ Then itās time to enjoy the last evening onboard for this timešāļøš When they changed from breakfast to lunchtime, itās the day of their ādress to impressā cakes, food and decorations was rolling outš©·ā¤ļøš§”ššššš©µ
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š sorry for laughing this is really the worst nightmare when you plan to use itš³ We have extra batteries. So this has saved us. But our old GoPro just died on holiday. It was working perfectly and suddenly it was just completely dead š« It was kaputā ļøš This was during our NZ advanced experienceš So we called a store and ordered a new one for pickup!
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Good morning from a wet and humid sea day! Itās showers off/on. I was awake to my normal timeā¦ Mr was half way deadš So it was buffet breakfast on the last minutes (together by lots of othersš¤£š¤£) Mr had his usual omelette and had my milk, apricot and cereal. Itās dry by the windows on the balcony. So we could sit outsideš On our door, the letter for passport delivery had arrived. I was surprised it wasnāt on our bed already when we arrived back yesterdayā¦. At some point we needed to get them backš Well, make the best of itš¤© What to do? Jacuzzi, shopping, live music, have some martinis? Well, as the big drinker I am, martinis are outš I think we will hit the pool for a dipš
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We love Thailand for The seafood optionsš In Hua Hin they have a great selection also. One of our favourites are flambĆ© mussels and fish garlic š§ then a hole fish is covered and baked in garlic boats. Mmm really š and scampi and lobster on the grill is never a bad optionššš We both like Thai style food. (Only thing is not to spicy for Mrš ) I have changed my dinner several times to save him from hot hellš¤£š¤£š„š„š„š¶ļø
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Phuket š¹š Oh, what a dayšš¹š I ā¤ļø love Thailand š¹š I have visited every year since 2005 at least once a year. Only time not during Covidš© I always go to Hua Hin. This was the first time in Phuket and we decided to go all-in for Phi Phi island. Tour was via the ship. I was in contact for private tours, but docking times was not good for making it back in time to the ship. (Very good decision!) It was 4 groups on our tour today. 25/26 guests in each group. So 4 buses/speed boats. We left the theatre on time and took the tender to land. The pier in Phuket is long, so a far way to walk before you are on land. (Important to know if you have a walking issue) Our tour guide was waiting a far stretch of walking from the pier. The tour numbers started at 39 on the pier end and we needed to go to nr 3ššš From there we needed to walk to the bus parkingā¦ So a decent tour on foot before we left for the busšš»šš You need to take a bus from this pier to another pier. It took 40.mins in the morning. At the pier they had toilets, water and coffee available to all guests. The speedboat ride is 1h to Phi Phi. Our first foto stop was the famous āthe beachā movie spot. A million boats and people on the beachšš¹šš Onward we moved to the caves. Foto stop. Then we continued to our snorkel reef. The reef was okay šš» lots of fish and decent visibility. For us a good timeš šš” the water was warm and perfect for snorkelling š¤æ Not everyone on our boat had snorkel experience, so it was some arms and legs hitting wildly around the reef. Our guide did a great job explaining how to snorkel for them and helping them out into the water. After 45.minutes in the water, we moved onward to lunch. It was a Thai š¹š buffet. They served the classics from the Thai food. It tasted excellent šš» After lunchtime it was time to move onward to last stop. A little island you could snorkel š¤æ or just swim on the beach. At 16.30 it was departure time for our boat trip back to the pier. 1 h travel time on the boat again. On the pier, it was back on the bus. Due to rush hours, the guide said minimum 1h. So if everything was going well, we would be back in town to 18.30ā¦. Wellā¦. š you probably understand where this is goingš¤£š¤£š¤£ We parked in the city centre 19.15ā¦ so after last tenderš Not a huge problem, 100 people just from our Phi Phi groupsā¦. And other ship tours were also delayed. So we arrived on the ship 20.00š And still several tenders left to go before everyone was back onboard. The ship was ready to departure around 21.00. Then we raised the anchor āļø and started to move. We needed to shower off and change. We decided quickly that tonight is buffet timeā¦. We had a great Thai food luncheon and we had no interest of dressing up to Luminaeā¦. Just to much to do after a long dayš In the buffet, the rest of the ship was going alsošš¤Ŗš¤£š¤£š¤£ Everyone was late back onboardš They had an Asian theme tonight and thanksgiving turkey. So plenty of options for everyone. Mr went for Ramen and I had some nachosš We had a great day to Phi Phi. We will definitely do an overnight there if we travel to Phuket on holiday. It was a long day and itās lots of transportation. So keep that in mind. I will go thru the GoPro footage later tonight. Maybe Nemo is caught on tapešš šš”
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And for all Americans, Happy Thanksgivingā¤ļø May you have a great celebration by family and friendsā¤ļø In Norway, we donāt celebrate it.
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Tonightās show is Matt Hale. He is a hypnotist. So this can be fun or notš Itās fun if you like this type of humour and maybe not if you donātā¦ š letās just say it was 50/50. After the show we went to watch the flair show. They are getting into shape nowš„³š„³ We had a chat by Mihail hotel director. Things are changing in the industry, so some things are for the better or worse. Itās has been harder to get senior crew back. So training is something that takes time and patience. After our chat, it was time to go for dinner. It was still a bit crowded, but people was eating desserts, so it calmed down quite quickly. Todayās menu: Chefs taste We had the asparagus for starter and then we ordered scallops, lobster and the lamb. So we had a little buffet bonanzaš Lamb was much better then last time we tried a lamb dishš Food tasted good šš» sauce on the lobster was really tasty and not too strong of taste. So you had the taste of the lobster and the sauceš Dessert menu We had ice cream. The peanut gelato was extremely powerful. It was like eating a bag of nutsš š š So probably very good together by some chocolate or caramel sauce. By itself a bit overkillš After dinner it was time for bedā¦. The dreaded departure letter and tags had arrived on the bedš©
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We picked up breakfast there from the self-service buffet this morning. We eat on the balcony in the retreat. We have had som cocktails before dinner 2 days. They have afternoon tea delights from 15.30-16.30 daily. Itās scones, fruit and sandwiches in minis. We rushed by once. They have a snack bar from 17.30 to 20.30. Itās nuts and fruits. They have 2 servers in the lounge taking orders for drinks. But at peak times itās very busy. The self-service beverage is open 24/7 style. Itās sodas, water and sparkling water. A coffee machine and tea serving. Itās like an airport lounge style. and the retreat hostess has their āofficeā so they can help you during their work hours. Im not sure what I think about itā¦. Itās not that I hate it. I just donāt know what I think about the concept. In one way i feel a bit āairportā over it. On the other side I feel itās a good place to be social. Specifically if you travel by friends in several suites. Then you have more space to meet and mingle. Personally itās not worth double price compared to a veranda stateroomš«„ But thatās my opinion of it.
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Captains Club Senior Officers party, here we comeš„° Todayās party was all according to plan. Drinks, canapĆ©s and sweets šš„š¹šø Captain Matt introduced the entire family of senior officer crew and he was giving out diplomas to employees that reached 5, 10, 15 and 20 years in X šš»šš»šš»š¾š„š„³
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I woke up to clouds and showers of rain. The rain was drumming on our balcony. You could see the showers coming. I tried to have a family chat by my mother, she was in transit in Dubai from Thailand. Sheās on the way home after a visit to Hua Hin. Connection was not great. So message worked well but no phone calls. I went upstairs to deliver the immigration cards to Thailand š¹š at 09.30. It was several people in the retreat. I went back downstairs to check on Mr. What was his wishā¦. We agreed that we should have breakfast on the balcony of the retreat. Since they have yoghurt, fruit, pastries and cold cuts. Then we would be able to sit outside under the roof and enjoy the food on a large table and walking distance of collecting all of it. It was almost empty when we arrived at 10.20. So we had a nice breakfast in the rain. Temperature was good, so no reason to sit inside. We had coffee and just enjoying life for a while. We went downstairs to change into pool clothes. Itās just showers of local rain, so no need to be sad. Go to the jacuzzi, enjoy the day and have funš We had some showers, but not a problemš Around 13.30 it started to clear upšš So then it was time to move over to a sun lounger and play a round of Ludoš² at 15.30 we called it for todayās outdoor party š Donāt want to get grilled lobster š¦ since we have a full day outside tomorrowš Its captainās club senior officers party tonight at 17.15 in Eden. This was waiting on our bed back on arrival: Tender priority information for Phuket. Elite and above
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LIVE(ish) Xpedition - Quito and Galapagos November 11, 2023
Norwaylady replied to prmssk's topic in Celebrity Cruises
Itās an amazing trip! love your photos and videos. We feel very confident that itās a great trip for us in 2025ā¤ļøšš» we made the correct decision to book itš¤© -
Live: Nov 18 2023 Xpedition Galapagos Southern Loop
Norwaylady replied to mahdnc's topic in Celebrity Cruises
Love love this! im so happy for your live and the other from Galapagosā¤ļø We are booked for 2025 and it seems like a perfect fit for us as of nowšš»šš»šš» -
Afternoon and dinner arrived fastā¦ (you see, those sea days are running of) Mr sat in the tub for a long time, I was just taking it easy. The sunset was beautiful (tonight it was a sunset veranda million dollars hitš¤©) so we could only see the colours from the side of the balcony. Around 19.15 we were ready to go downstairs. We had a coffee from Al Bacio and Mr wanted to try out the āhealthyā martini šøā¦ā¦ š„¬ kale martini š„¬ Itās greenš it smells like a vegetable smoothie and looks like it. Celery, kale, gingerā¦.. And it taste like itš So it might count as 1/5 daily vegetablesš¤£š¤£š¤£ After seeing the flair show and listening to the live music, we decided it was time to go for dinner. We arrived around 20.45 and it was less crowded than yesterday. So thatās good šš» Tonightās menu: both of us said synchronous: this menu isnāt great. The Tuna main course looks goodā¦. Luckily for usā¦ our waiter came by to say that tonight they had a chefās special. Chicken tikka. (Same we had earlier this week) We said bring it onšš®š³ chefs taste Again, excellent taste and chicken was delicious. š Dessert menu: For dessert, we had sorbet.
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@Ken the cruiser when we had concierge on last part. It was no problem to get a fixed table in same zone. Just ask, and they can add a āfixedā every day booking. We choose to do a TourāMDR voluntary. Since we find it a bit fun to test out whatās going onā¦. I completely agree by you. For E-class we will probably do sunset/porthole/front window/biggest window. For S/M-class some sort of balcony.
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Some thoughts about our sky suite experience as of now, day 9. This is really not easy. I feel that you are walking on a thin line of offending people and their preferences. What I will make absolutely clear is that the crew are working their socks off. This is not a crew issue on the ship. Itās connected to corporate decisions and their lack of contact to the their product. Cut backs is a major part of this problem. So, we are b2b. So we did board the ship in Italy in a concierge cabin. I know this sailing is very special in all ways. Number of captainās club higher levels are far over the usual numbers. Specifically Zenithās. So they shouldnāt cut anything in butlerās or people connected to the retreat before after the ship arrives in NZ/Aus. Itās a demanding crowd onboardš¤š What would be the correct decision was to keep the number as before until they reached NZ/AUS. I was in one way a bit surprised that we received no contact or letter from the retreat wishing us welcome to us on your next part of your sailing adventure a day before turnaround day. I was following our mail box as a hawk to hide it from Mrā¦š¤ Nothingā¦.. Upon boarding in Dubai, we were lucky. Since we could walk straight on, due to clearing of b2b in the morning. But there was a group of ladies in front of us sailing in SS on the gangway and they were greeted and followed onward by someone from the retreat standing on the destination deck. They had made it very visible and loudly marked we sail suitesš (we are not therešā¦.) We just walked on as normal. It was a made house of chaos. So not angry or upset. But itās the lack of personal touch and the cherry on the top. We did not see our housekeeper until we tried to find him at 21.05 in the evening. Then we walked in the hallway back to the fun downstairsā¦ Our room had not received turndown service yetā¦. So we went out again so they had a chance to get thru the staterooms. Our deck is definitely overwhelmed in housekeeping. Itās many suites and our fellow passengers are demanding in many ways. Itās stacks of plates and glasses in the hallway. People bring food from the OceanViev and donāt want the plates in their stateroom. (Fair enough, but team housekeeping is running a marathon picking up all of this on the floor in our hallway. Iām really surprised over the amount of this on our deck) They should definitely have an assistant on those floors containing several suites. To help off the pressure. To force on service from a butler to a housekeeper is not by chance possible. They lack training and donāt have time. They are already working on max capacity to serve their staterooms in ordinary housekeeping duties. (Itās already very clear to me that they are behind schedule of what corporate office thinks is possible and what in reality is possible to do in x hours) I can, but will not in a million years call my stateroom attendant to get coffee, I know heās already overwhelmed by work. This was just another example of missing cherries š on the topā¦. We had to ask on day 2, is the 2 bottles of water for us or do it belong to the mini bar? No notice or any information in the stateroom. (Communication is really not to underestimateš) Breakfast from room service paper order has worked okey. We had to ask for them. It has arrived as requested and contained what we ordered. But they donāt follow it completely. Last delivery we ordered fruit and I always write in big letters and ! NO Pineapple š! Iām allergicā¦. On our fruit it was pineappleā¦. The orange juice is concentrate. It has tasted so sour that your hair is raised. Why canāt they serve real juice? Itās just the detail of attention. Itās not ruining my stay. The biggest problem is the lack of a table to eat on. Itās very low and not really good for eating. This is a design error and they donāt use a pop-up table for serving. So itās either sit on the floor or have you plate on your lap or in bed. So we have a balcony but no table suitable for eatingš Thereās no paper menu for room service daytime available. Only in the app. No options of pre ordering a fruit plate or something when you return from a shore excursion. We can walk to the buffet and pick up something. But I have this really nice balcony that I want to use alsoš at least offer me a tray to carry it with meš So I can get something to eat and drink on one tourš¤Ŗš¤Ŗš¤Ŗ( or X probably prefer that I go to the retreatā¦ but half way dirty and done after my day. Itās nice to just land in your own home) Would I be welcomed and allowed to sit in the sofa if I were arriving as after my ship tour on Sil?šš¤š«£ What can we ask for? Can we request dinner delivery? So we can eat private on our own balcony. We can probably ask for some of it. But no one has greeted and told us from day 1 in our own home away from home. This is mega important for new people! Itās honestly a very important way to connect and make a good first impression! (And we all know that the first impression is important) We needed to raise some of our questions in the retreat(how do we order breakfast, should we have order forms?). The message is just call us, room service ā¦ or housekeeping. Again, my apologies for not wanting to be the demanding lady on holiday. (I really hate to call people I know is super busy and have loads of work. So I can put extra work into thisā¦.š« ) Things that they could have easily answered and made in order if they had time to stop by on day 1 in our suite or your housekeeping had time to actually visit and say hello. This and this works like this and this and this is the best way to make it happen. In one way, it seems to me that The Retreat team assume everyone is regularly sailing in a suite. We have sailed several times on X, but none in suites on X. (Only JS suite on Royal, Voyager, and thatās only a bigger room and nothing more. We where extremely underwhelmed) I find it a bit difficult to have to ask all this questions. Itās not my job. When we have stayed at places you want/can compare to The Retreat experience/SS to in Mauritius/China/Japan/Hong Kong/Dubai/USA/Thailand/Singapore. We have had a personal connection from the first few hours after arriving and they have talked us thru how to proceed for different services and how things work. We have not had anything near that. Thatās our feedbackā¦. We didnāt see/hear the butler before day 6. He meet us in the hallway. He knew us from pictures. He is definitely overwhelmed in people to take care of and serve in a decent way. 3 butlers for all suites are crazy overloaded. Luminae is a nice restaurant in many ways. The crew works hard and nothing wrong in the crew. The biggest issue is the compose of the menus. Some days itās an excellent selection and the next day is really hard to find something. (This is a personal preference, from a fish/seafood eater perspective) Both me and Mr agreed on that itās good, its details and what level they want to be that lacks the details. Personally we leaning towards Blu in menu options for vegetables and fish/seafood. Some things are better than others. But we are not wowed from a food perspective. My preference point is high, since itās marketed and sold as excellent. Yesterdays dessert was on target+ of all parameters. We can pick up water and soda drinks in the retreat self-serve section. Okay, but I feel like a bad person when I stuff my x shopping bag full of water and sparkling water. Why canāt you just on day 1 tell your preference and what you need. So housekeeping can put it inside your fridge during day service? Not a full container, but 4 bottles of water at least. Iām not joking, we get 2 bottles of water in our stateroom and we need at least 3 more bottles of water and 4 bottles sparkling water. Thatās what we drink every day in warmer climates just in our stateroom. I need to drink at least 1l after my 1 hour power walk in the hot sun. This is so far our experience and we are a decent distance from wowed about it. Mr likes the tub and likes the retreat area. But heās not sold as of today. Crew is friendly and they work very hard. But corporate has taken the cut too far to deliver what they advertise. In my eyes itās a miss/match of what they are advertising and what they deliver in reality. So we will see if we change our minds, but I think we will stick to āsteerage classā if this is what you can expect from a SS experience.
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