monicajay

@OP You look fine for the non-smart-chic nights. I have a similar pair with the only difference being a few bits of bling glued to the straps and have had no problems wearing them to dinner. I also wear Birkenstock Gizeh's as they are not only extremely comfortable but not being rubber, are clearly not flip-flops but still are a thong so easy on the ankles.

Not on Celebrity but once on RCL we got an 'invitation' in our cabin to stay another week with at a really reasonable rate. Sadly we had flights booked and jobs to go back to.

We have sailed on Royal Caribbean and NCL before but are now looking at MSC- mainly because of price difference.

 

What is the standard of service compared to other cruise lines? Has anyone tried MSC and RCL/ NCL?"

 

Thanks

I'm very curious as well!!!

As you will see from my signature we are not loyal to one particular line and pick our trips based on itinerary and pricing.

We have found service on MSC to be good but very different from the other lines. I see it as a cultural difference and not as bad service. Roaming servers will not hound you to order a drink, in fact they will walk on by and only stop if you raise a hand or make clear eye contact indicating you would like something. Some take this to be bad service, I accept it as being a not so in-your-face, type of service.

Cabins are as clean and nice or cleaner and nicer than you will find on other lines. Room stewards are more discrete due to the fact that you have to put your room card into a slot in the wall in order for your lights to work, this also turns on a tiny purple light hidden slightly over your door so they know you are in. A really good system for both saving energy (you can't leave lights on) and not being interrupted by knocks at the door.

Food is subjective but we always found something to our liking. Pastas are as expected particularly good. Meat cuts not so much.

Entertainment was a higher caliber in my opinion although some of it was not to my taste but then we'd just move on. There are no tables or drink service in the theater.

MSC has great lounge chairs with a piece that can block the sun from your face, making it easy to read in the sun. Surprisingly silly, this is one of my most favorite features and why we are looking to book our next cruise on MSC.

Oh, at the Gelato (yes, extra $) is as good as in Italy and certainly worth every penny.

Make sure you look at the itinerary as port times are often shorter or not as good as other lines.

Also, remember that if you pay way less money, somewhere this will be apparent so don't spend your whole cruise comparing everything.

Hope this helps.

Only the grapefruit juice is still freshly squeezed

 

Orange juice is sweet concentrate that needs to have vodka to become patible. :D:

If they are still doing fresh squeezed grapefruit it can't be a hygiene/washing issue.

On the Summit 2015, it had to still be fresh squeezed grapefruit, I found lots of chunks of seeds, although they no longer had the machine out in the buffet.

I usually request an egg create pad upon first meeting my cabin steward. Let's hope it's in better condition than the mattress pad. :eek:

The idea of a foam egg crate pad that can't be easily washed seems problematic to me :rolleyes:. I see so many threads where people ask for these but I've found the mattresses comfortable enough, at least a mattress pad or cover can be washed and dried but I doubt those egg crate things ever are.

This thread is showing how we are all so different.

I actually love my boat hair!

I bring shampoo/conditioner from home. I towel dry, comb out and then scrunch up with my hands. I don't use hairdryer and air dry. I end up with nice curls that I don't get at home.

Formal night (haven't done the new thing yet) I pin it up into a bun, still damp, leaving a few wispy curls hanging out in the back. Adding a rhinestone headband and off I go.

I think it is the high humidity that makes my hair so much easier to work with.

Hello,

 

Anyone have any pros or cons of the Celebrity Cruise line, specifically the Summit?

Sadly, couldn't book the Summit this year or 2017 due to Charters. Not only did I love the ship but really enjoyed leaving from San Juan.

Rum Point. Rent a car to get there. Google images for some amazing pics.

Will Bistro on Five be open on embarkation day for lunch?

I think it will depend on when and on what ship you are cruising on. Everything I've read points to it changing over to a Sushi/Noodle venue on the Reflection just prior to our cruise.

I kind of like the Bistro the way it was on the Summit which included some daily specials and items other than just crepes and sandwiches.

Coming from the cold, cold north, I prefer to go to the buffet and then sit outside on embarkation day but I still like the Bistro for other lunches.

Always take select, have had no problem getting a table for 2.

My thought is that as for many posters the cruising and AI experience will be mutually positive.

 

We have done more AI's than cruises. Should you decide to try one, do your research well. There are some really good ones and some that are very so-so and some really bad ones. There are more AI's than cruise lines so it can be even harder to find the right one for you.

This is one area where an experienced, good travel agent can make sure you find one that fits you perfectly.

When does the last tender leave at the end of the day? If we are "in port" until 6:00, what time should our absolute deadline be for getting on a tender back to ship? We arrive too late for most of the morning trips to Stingray City but I am nervous about taking an afternoon trip and getting back in time to tender.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

As 'Needtovacation' pointed out it will be in your daily news sheet but you will also see a sign posted as you swipe your card and get off the ship. It always indicates latest time for staff and latest time for passengers.

In anticipation of my upcoming Celebrity cruise, I made a spreadsheet with all of the recommendations (and some anti-recommendation) from a the very informative "Favorite Food on Celebrity" thread. I tallied how many people recommended various dishes and listed that ranking next to the item.

 

I did my best to put each item under its correct dining location, but I haven't been on Celebrity before so I may have made some mistakes.

 

I would be grateful for any corrections and especially any additional picks and pans.

 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wHV17Gbyz7MLXFEEzNwqWnkAeh3gVJtaKQsb7Fj8SLM/edit?usp=sharing

 

Thanks!

You must have a lot more time on your hands than me. :)

That said, my favorite surprise, because they were awesome, on Celebrity was the braised short ribs, which I never would have tried had I not read about them multiple times on different threads. You don't even have them on your list :rolleyes:.

I can't even plan specialty restos till I get on board and see which night will have the short ribs. They did have them for lunch in the Bistro too but I gather by the time I get on the Reflection it'll have turned into a noodle/sushi shop.

Bumping this old post because I plan on using this map (thanks to the hard work of the OP) to get me to the beach. I've been hunting for this for a while.

Anybody been to Turtle Beach recently? Is it still $3 entry?

Thanks

Grand Cayman is the complete opposite of Jamaica. Nobody is pushy, easy and safe to get around on your own. A nice relaxing day. We have been 3 times and am looking forward to going there again. Hopefully we will be able to tender.

1. Stingray City and snorkeling tour -booked privately on a sailboat (can't remember which one)

2. Rented from Avis, drove around then spent the day at Rum Point

3. Bus to brewery, Caybrew for a tour, then shopped for a while in town and walked to My Bar at Sunset house for some snorkeling and a few brews.

This time we will head to the beach by bus, likely Cemetery and then find a beach bar somewhere else for a bit in the afternoon. Not sure yet which one, I have a few ideas.....

We are going to Ocho Rios this trip and I have no idea what to do. I hate the way they are so aggressive and pushy in Jamaica. I'd just like a quiet, cheap chill beach. I have not been able to find this without spending a lot on day passes or paying a guide so we don't get harassed.

Love your location.... one sister lives in Haliburton and the other sister has a cottage and is there whenever possible. I'm further but make it there a couple times a year, sometimes more.

For an inexpensive break you could look at the Money Bar. It has been our favorite for a while. Close to pier so the taxi ride is cheap (about $8 for 2 people), no charge for lounge chairs. There is a big 'beachy' area of sand but it's held there with a retaining wall, I love to hear the waves lapping against the wall (a bit like Kash against the dock). The bathrooms are spotless, there are free freshwater showers, snorkel rental or bring your own, food is great (try the Guacamole), and the drinks are cold and plentiful. The service is excellent but not pushy. There is also a massage tent.

Entry to the water is by two different sets of steps or you can jump off a dock. I actually prefer this to the typical beach entry.

Due to the retaining wall this is not a place for children or families as the fall would not be a good one.

They do offer packages that you can reserve but we have always just showed up and paid for our drinks and food.

Lots of pics on Google and Tripadvisor.

I'll be there on Feb. 29th and have just found out a good friend I rarely get to see from Barrie, ON will be holidaying in Cozumel. She is coming to meet us at 'The Money'.

I think teens will enjoy Paradise Beach much, much more than Money Bar. You could likely get two big van taxis to get you there. The dispatcher will set it up for you. Get the teens the $18 fun pass and they will have access to all the water toys, trampolines, kayaks, snorkel stuff and stand up paddle boards. Adults who just want to relax in lounge chairs do not need to pay the fun pass fee.

When they're tired of the ocean they can go hang out in the pool.

When we went (nov 22nd) we were put in a Global Entry queue and then escorted to the next available officer. We also bypassed a huge line

 

 

 

We're a year away from renewal. I'm curious to hear how it works. The cards expire on your birthday. So my DH expires first, and then 6 months later my son expires, with my daughter and I in between. I really don't to travel back for 4 interviews of 4 months. Would be better if they expired on the anniversary of getting the card. I thought maybe it was all done on line and no interviews required :(

Bingo! you found the one bad thing about this process. Unlike our passports which all renew at the same time, our Nexus (with Global Entry) cards all expire on our birthdays. We have been through this process and it was 5 separate applications at different dates (for our family). Luckily they can now decide to 'select' only certain people for a new interview. Only one of 5 needed to go :).

Still, the whole process would be much easier if they renewed on the anniversary like passports rather than on birthdays, like drivers licenses.

One mistake people make is to expect Celebrity or Princess offerings at MSC prices and then complain when it is not, you will enjoy Divina if you go with an open mind. Have you booked one of the cabins on Deck 10 Aft?

This is so true!

For us, MSC did nothing, a few of us organized a little get together, fewer showed up. Nothing like what we have seen on other cruise lines. Even on Costa (who also do nothing) we had a great group that had lots of fun with with stuff we organized amongst ourselves.

Thank-you for your post. It has us rethinking our plans for O.R. stop. I too hadn't thought about people coming from other ports.

I wish I could just find a free, quiet beach with no people trying to sell you stuff. That seems not possible in Jamaica.

Only cruised twice out of San Juan and early in March. No problems with embarkation (around 11am) or debarkation (walk off). No spring breakers on board and no huge family groups either. I'd be cruising from there again if they weren't chartered or dry-docked at our preferred travel time. I love that port.

There were lots of 'college breakers' staying in SJU though, you could see them walking around the streets with drinks in hand. Didn't bother us at all though, in fact we thought it was cute.

We have had 2 very successful Select dining experiences on the Summit. We do not make any reservations, for me the point is going when I'm ready and hungry and not when I have to.

Both cruises we asked for a table of 2 each night and asked to be along the railing looking down on the main dining room. We usually arrived somewhere between 7:30 -8:15. Some nights we are seated within minutes and some nights we have received a pager and waited in the bar. Often they suggest we either join others or take a regular table for two. We politely say we prefer to wait even if it will be much longer. This ensures we are not at a table inches away from another table. Usually, by the 3rd night they know our routine and rarely are the waits long. The trick was never to arrive as the show let out. Either we go before or way after.

To me a quiet table for 2 is worth a wait.

Nobody has suggested touring the brewery. We did this a couple of years ago, used to be free but is no $6 It was a very interesting tour with lots of 'tasting' at the end. We took the bus to get there.

http://caybrew.com/content/10-brewery-tour

Which rental car agency did you use? Did you reserve on-line?

https://www.aviscayman.com/cruise-home/

They picked us up in town, took us to the airport, brought us back to the pier. We used the all in rate. It was $65 when we did it but I see from the above link it is now $80. There were 4 of us so we found it a cheap way to spend the day.

There was no charge at Rum Point to park or for lounge chairs. You just need to pay drinks and food.