CHEZMARYLOU

It is still free for suites. Otherwise $9.95 + 18% gratuity per order, except for Continental breakfast.

With all of the changes to dining on Celebrity, Royal is soon going to overtake Celebrity in the food category. Having never sailed Royal I can't say how the food quality and taste compares to Celebrity but Royal's new MDR menus look pretty good.

If for some reason you cannot get to the boarding time without the passport information just put in the info from his current passport, as long as it is not expired already. You can change it later.

We requested 2 blankets for use on our balcony when we were in Alaska.

Yes but it might be better to put it in your carry on to avoid Celebrity holding your luggage to check out the content of the medicine bottle. You would have to go down to whereever they opened the suitcase for the inspection.

The buffet experience might not be the same on M vs S vs E class but that is no reason to expect a lesser food offering or quality.

Yes, you've missed something. We stay on the ship and enjoy the quiet. We go to a restaurant for lunch, in this case Sushi on 5. We enjoy a glass of wine with lunch. After at least 6 cruises with stops in GC this is the 1st time we have not been able to have wine at lunch. Even the Retreat Lounge (Michael's Club) was shut down. Then to be told that this is a GC regulation, BUT, another cruise line today reported that multiple bars were open is just another nail in the coffin with Celebrity's cuts.

Someone on the FB page I quoted is on Apex and said there are several bars open today in GC. The App is showing 4 bars plus the Retreat Lounge being open right now.

Interesting post on FB group from someone on Norwegian Dawn who took a picture of Apex anchored nearby. She was asked about the bars being open on Dawn. Here are her replies. Response from poster on Dawn when asked about the open bars on the ship: "we’re not on the Apex. We’re on Norwegian Dawn. The bars on our ship are all open. I’m guessing will be same on Apex." My response to her: "Interesting. Celebrity has only had one bar open while anchored in GC. According to Celebrity it is a new law in GC limiting ships to only one open bar." Her reply: "very strange. We have 2 to 3 running during day plus the ones in restaurants then the rest open from around 5pm. Same whether in ports or not. The usual ones were open when we docked this morning." Sort of adds credence to the licensing theory.

I would be having a serious conversation with the Maitre d and work up the chain if I was ever told this. We were on Reflection for New Year's and had no problem ordering from the sommelier, even at lunch.

I think having some made to order stations like pasta, stir fry, grilled meat and veggies along with salad, cheese, bread and dessert would be the way to go for Celebrity to accommodate those who want a quick, made to order dinner. We might even try it on an evening when we are not too hungry. Having food sitting around in steam trays is something we would not want. I'm sure Celebrity could come up with something to change it up over the course of a cruise.

This on the Celebrity FB site: "We’re so excited to announce that the helm of Celebrity Ascent will be shared by accomplished maritime brothers Captain Dimitrios Kafetzis and Captain Tasos Kafetzis – an industry first! "

I'd rather pay the upcharge or get 2 smaller martini's. I can just see me trying to juggle a martini through the crowded hall and then trying to find a seat at the martini bar.

It did apply to Michael's Club. If I drank beer, I could have helped myself.

See the thread "strange bar closing in Grand Cayman". There is a post from the daily re the bars closing

Luggage Valet is great when you have a later flight and luggage to check. In Ft. Lauderdale United only allows you to check luggage 4 hours before the flight, even when in business class. We had to spend an hour waiting before we could check luggage and go to the United lounge. Southwest is 3 hours.

We were disappointed in our Reflection New Year's cruise but I think we had unrealistic expectations based on 2 NY cruises in 2012 & 2013. We have 3 more booked, one on Equinox in September. That will determine if we will take the 2 after that, although we want to try Beyond and like the itinerary. We book in the Retreat. If they start cutting back there we will probably be done with Celebrity.

We disembarked Reflection 2 weeks ago. It was not among our favorite cruises with Celebrity but we put that down to our expectations regarding a New Year's cruise. (We did 2 in 2012 & 2013 but it was a different time on Celebrity.) The only problem we had with the food was the buffet one day at lunch. Everything looked brown and spicy, which is harder for me to eat anymore. We didn't go back for lunch during the cruise. Breakfast was fine. We walked through one night and all the stations were open but this was before the change in evening offerings. We also enjoyed Luminae, Blu, Murano's, The Porch, Lawn Club Grill and Sushi on 5 As far as service, we boarded on NY Eve after a booked to capacity Christmas cruise. The first 2 days service was rushed but by the 3rd day things were back to normal. Our Butler told us she had 4 guests in our suite over Christmas. We did not have a problem getting drinks at any of the bars we went to, even in the Solarium. I hope you have a great cruise.

If you are in the retreat you can board anytime. Earliest is usually 11 or 11:30. We get to the port around 10:30, complete check in and wait in the lounge until they start boarding.

Yes, use the Kids Club for 2 very active kids (ADHD) during dinner.

Good plan.

This was the menu on reflection recently. It was the same for all 8 days.

When you go to the spa you have to give your seapass card. If your wife is not in Aqua her card will show that and she will not be able to enoy the spa for free. Same with Blu, your wife's card will show she is not in Aqua class. As far as dining, there is no issue with kids being in Aqua class and dining to Blu. The limitation of Aqua is only 2 people per cabin. You don't see many kids in Blu but there are some either from Aqua class or in the Retreat.

I don't even remember an announcement the night before. This is new. Even the server in Sushi on 5 had to check with his manager to confirm. I wonder if Celebrity had to pay a fee for each bar that was open and choose to only open one.

The app seems to work fine on my android tablet.