bEwAbG

X just started using CocoCay years after it opened.  I would bet that RCCL will use the newer one exclusively for awhile.  I think there is an open question as to whether or not offering CocoCay or any other private beach day is a net positive for X yet.

Of the ones you've sailed, Celebrity is going to be most similar to Princess as there is a lot of crossover between those two and HAL.  What level of room you book can also come into play (suite or not).

For those of you canceling or not booking future cruises, please drop a note to Celebrity corporate to let them know why.

For anyone who wants to ask the President on the next President's cruise, please also mention in your question how patronizing it is for her staff to hide behind safety as an excuse.

A few FAQ threads seem innocuous but then the mods would also have to keep on top of the changes.  Also a bit off-putting to go to a board and see a full page of sticky threads at the top where you have to scroll to another page to get to the new stuff.

HAL has a thread that began in 2018 where they dump all smoking related questions.  Seems like a good idea until you realize that the policy has changed over the years and it's impossible to find the current experiences buried in 50 pages of responses so people inevitably just ask again and again anyway.

Daytime dress code allows shorts throughout the ship.  Smart Casual is for the evening in the main and specialty restaurants and the theatre.  You can also do Smart Casual on Evening Chic nights if you want.  Sneakers or walking shoes are fine any time of the day, even on Evening Chic nights.  I'd suggest black ones if you have them (they'll pair with most anything).

https://www.celebritycruises.com/faqs/all-faqs#what-to-pack

See "What to Pack, What to Wear" section as well as the Dining Dress Code section.

Waxed cardboard cannot be recycled so that's just a bit of green-washing.  I think cruise ships should do glass bottles and clean/sterilize for reuse, personally.  Or just stop providing the single use plastic bottles altogether.

I mainly drink canned sparkling water and it's in a standard soda can that is hard to cut yourself on.  Why they chose the cans they chose is a mystery because they were dangerous.

Re: the buffet and empty tables.  I worked at a restaurant in my long-ago youth that had a line you went through to order/pay and then you went to find a table.  On busy days, people could not understand why we wouldn't let the whole family sit down to claim a table before their party went through the line.  If the seating is full, the people in front of you cannot clear the line.  I think ship's buffets should work the same.  First in, first out and don't let people camp out at tables if they're not eating.

X doesn't help anyone by throwing towels on every chair, making it appear as if they've been claimed when they haven't.  I don't understand why they do this.  People would very easily learn that they could go pick up a towel when they need one and it would be more clear what chairs were already taken.

Chair hogs are not limited to X of course.  Same happens anywhere there is a pool.

The safety reason is quite condescending in its absurdity.  Every other line provides loungers on balconies and right up against railings on public decks.  X will apparently bring you one if you ask.  So how does it follow that the reason they're being removed is because they're suddenly unsafe?  It's insulting that the executive office is telling people this.

As with all of the amenities, X hopes you won't know to ask and they can save money when they need to buy more with the rationale that no one is asking for them.  Not to mention that training is so inconsistent that many people will be told it's not possible when they do ask. 

You know who doesn't put this burden on its passengers?  Their competitors.

I'm on team "it's a long walk."  I'm not mobility challenged but being in those corner aft suites, you get a lot of steps in.  I did forget something on one of those walks, and we were already running late.  Having to go back to the room added more time to the lateness.  I prefer the M-class aft elevators for convenience.

Interesting observations based on your experiences.

I would give HAL the award for best buffet.  It might have more limited selections but those to me have always been well prepared and consistently good, plated at the correct temp and served to you by staff, so they have less of the "ick" factor than the traditional buffet experience.  Their desserts are always consistently better to me, too.  I feel like Celebrity goes for style over substance too often (pretty but zero taste).

Every line has its strengths and weaknesses.  The real takeaway is to get out there and try them to see how you like them.  I understand why people develop brand loyalty, but I feel like you're missing out if you don't mix it up every now and again.

Keep an eye out in the next few weeks for how Vancouver is doing boarding.  They tend to tweak it season to season, but Canada Place is often a hot mess.  In years' past, priority didn't get you much of anything in terms of getting past security and immigration.  Any cruise line specific priority would only help for the parts of the process they control (check-in).  Cruises earlier in the season also tend to be more chaotic than later in the year, and of course the number of ships on the day you're sailing is a factor.  Check out the West Coast Departures board and also monitor the upcoming trips that people on Celebrity will be posting about. 

https://www.celebritycruises.com/gifts

I think they were just trying to be helpful.  You owed the money due to their mistake but better to handle it while on the phone than to risk your reservation getting cancelled because you now owe a balance you didn't pay.  Modern computer systems are great at automating a lot but sometimes it can be detrimental to the customer, especially once the people who set up the system initially have moved on and their replacements have no idea how it all works.

Most of us somehow survived childhood boredom.  If it was a mistake, it was a mistake, but you won't know that until it's done.  Are you willing to lose the $1K?  Otherwise, go and make it a fun trip for your family.  Celebrity is more sedate than NCL.  Knowing that now, you can plan for it. 

Love your photos.  Oftentimes people post their food shots and people scream "looks delicious!" and I don't see it.  Yours actually make the food look good, or at least real-to-life (I saw a sketchy baked potato).  I will say that HAL's food almost always looks a lot better to me than comparable lines, and your photos really capture that.

10 minutes ago, MrsB05 said:

Where is Luminae located on Constellation? 

I know there isn't a Retreat Lounge per se, is it Michael's Club?

TIA

Luminae is carved out of the main dining room space, deck 4.  Michael's Club is the Retreat lounge space on non-Revolutionized ships.   

Facebook.  It's not forbidden to say it.  Not sure why people think otherwise.  CC just doesn't want you to steer people from here to roll calls on FB is all (don't join a roll call and tell people to join them on your FB roll call).  It's in the guidelines.

If you're on a cruise that has the same itinerary, you can look that up and get a good idea, e.g., if the one this week is going to be the same as the one you're on.  Or if you post which one you're going on, people can generally give advice as to what days will be Chic Night.  Most often on sea days and never the last night. 

If everyone has to sign a slip, it slows down the service because the bartenders have to print a slip and then wait for people to sign.  I can see why it would be annoying if it was being done at every (or most) bars, especially the busy ones.  Part of the all-inclusive appeal is that you can just order without thinking about it, including waiting for a receipt to sign.

X has had a longtime problem with some bartenders charging multiple drinks to a single card whether they belong to that package or not.  This was probably meant to address that.  Hard to get real analytics if the front line people are doing whatever they want and skewing the results.  I think the answer could be in having drink ordering done via the app, but I don't know that RCCL has the technical know-how to dream that big.

When Luminae was first announced, they said it would be open every day for lunch but did a retreat (!) on that before it was rolled out.  Quite a brouhaha about it then.  Luminae has not been open at lunch on port days (except embarkation), from the beginning.

21 hours ago, LJanet said:

I read Celebrity Persian Garden is far superior than HA Greenhouse Spa.  Food also far

superior than HA. 

I might agree on Persian Garden, though I think they are very similar products so not sure what Celebrity's would have over HAL's.  I would not say Celebrity's food is "far superior" than HAL.  That may have been true at one time but Celebrity's food standards have slipped a great deal from when that was true.  I find them more similar than different and have had some terrific meals on HAL. 

I too would vote for Glacier Bay and HAL as the itinerary unless you plan to do this route regularly.  If it's a one-and-done (which I think it is, though I know many who would disagree), I would choose to see Glacier Bay.

1 hour ago, cruisestitch said:

How can you tell they are the same?

Posting history.

The ships can be cool in the evening, too, so that should be a consideration.  I often find them cold, even.  I wear shorts all the time at home but feel more comfortable in long pants (or jeans) in the evenings on the ships.

10 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

Same OP? Incognito?

Same OP, new username.  Same drumbeat.