outandabout

47 minutes ago, Dancing Shoes said:

We were on the Apex in an outside cabin.  There was no pull-out clothesline in the shower.  😞

47 minutes ago, Dancing Shoes said:

We were on the Apex in an outside cabin.  There was no pull-out clothesline in the shower.  😞

Sad, indeed.  😞

5 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

Celebrity has not had formal nights for years. I have found it pretty easy to meet the Evening Chic suggestions with non wrinkle clothing. 
 

If you want to bring those two sets of clothes anyway, it is an option, your choice, when I used to pack formal attire if despite my best packing skills there were wrinkles I used the shower hack to steam garments. If that was not good enough I sent those items to the laundry service. Celebrity definitely does not have self service laundry rooms and they won’t have an iron in your room and they won’t bring one. If hacks like the shower and downy wrinkle release don’t do the job then you will have to use their laundry service. 

Don't know why I keep on thinking "formal nights"; and I'm with you on the "evening chic", as Celebrity calls it.  Believe me, I'm not all that weary fancy, long gowns, etc.  The shower hack sounds good.  I'll look into downy wrinkle release stuff.  Thanks for your insight. 

9 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

Don't bring clothes that wrinkle. I stopped about ten years ago. Plenty of performence and tech fabrcs that don't wrinkle. 

Just two sets of clothes for the formal night.

13 hours ago, LHT28 said:

probably not

Maybe post on the forum of the cruise line you are using

 Some still have laundry rooms with irons

Celebrity APEX.  Thanks.

12 hours ago, mom says said:

What line are you cruising on? As mentioned, none will have them in the cabin, but depending on the line, there are alternatives.

Celebrity APEX.  Thank you for this info.

12 hours ago, John Bull said:

No cruise line has clothes irons in the cabin, and passengers are banned from bringing their own (even travel irons) because of the risk of overloading the cabin wiring.

NCL don't have passenger laundries or ironing rooms, but your cabin steward can arrange for anything to be washed and/or ironed - at a cost.

 

To get travel creases out we use the cabin shower 

There's a clothes line fixed above head height on one side of the shower cabinet - draw it across to the hook on the other side. It's normally for drying swim gear.

Put clothes on hangers on the line, ensure that the shower jet is well pointed away from them, turn the shower on & pull the curtain across.

Getting wrinkles out takes 10 to 15 minutes.

 

JB 🙂

I heard about this travel hack before but haven't really tried doing it.  Thank you.

Does anyone know if there's an iron inside the cabins?  Need to press wrinkled clothes.

Thanks.

So you go to the restaurant of your choice and talk to people; who are these people?  maitre'd? 

Jelayne,

If purchasing a specialty dining package in advance, is it cancellable with no penalty or charge?

Thanks.

fstuff1,

" USUALLY. on my last cruise a few months ago, i got 50% off Le Petite Chef (old version) for first night when i came onboard".  I'm curious--How did you get the 50% off?  Was the discount advertised on the daily newsletter? 

The last time I checked, a 3-N dining package is for $137; at $55 a pop, there's a saving of $28 right there.  I think that alone is an incentive to pre-book. 

Thanks. 

NMTraveller & Oville,

Thanks so much for the heads up.  We don't like to eat late so it's a plus to know this info.  We'll definitely pre-book.

Thank you for your input, Porterhouse248.  It looks like Eden and Petit Chef would be a great choice.  For the third one, it's still undecided whether it's Fine Cut Steakhouse or Raw 5.  My husband loves meat more than I do and I love seafood (sushi) more than he does. 

If I sign up for the dining package now online, can I change my selections at a later time?  I'm not sure how to check the Eden's menu ahead of time. 

Also, have taken note of Eden Cafe at lunch.  Definitely, we'll do that on one of the two sea days.  

Thank you for your recommendation, Texed.  I'll keep that in mind. 

I'm curious to know if anybody enjoyed Le Petit Chef and Friends for the "show". 

Johnmike1234,

We're sailing in April, and so I'll get that sorted out soon before it's sold out.  Incidentally, I came across this blog and has information about dining on the Edge.  You might want to check it out. 

https://eatsleepcruise.com/2019/01/celebrity-edge-restaurant-menus-and-guide/

Thinking to buy the 3-night specialty dining package.   For those who's been on the Edge, which specialty restaurants have you been to and do you recommend?  The price of the package is from $137...do you think this is a good deal?   We would like to venture out of the main dining room menus and experience a different ambiance and food choices. 

Thanks.

Will do.  I think we'll go at lunch. 

Thank you so much for this info.

Do you need to reserve to go on the magic carpet?

The taxi fare from Havensight to Paradise Point should be approximately $4 per person. From Paradise Point to Sapphire $10 per person each way.

Thank you very much!

On the other hand, Dean offered $39 PP which includes the island tour (2 hrs) + beach stop + return to the ship for our group of 15. Is that a decent price?

About taxis, can anyone please give an (estimate) cost of a taxi fare from Havensight to Paradise Point to Sapphire Beach then back to Havensight? Or correct me if it's better to go to Sapphire Beach first, then to Paradise Point then back to Havensight. Thanks!

There is also the free trolley in SAN Juan. We have done that twice. Goes right to ElMorro.

 

 

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Hi! Re free trolley --- where do you it on outside of the cruise port terminal? Does it make a loop back to the terminal? Thanks.

I was on this same cruise and I didn't find the staff rude at all.

I was in the casino a lot. Very smokey. I didn't notice in the atrium but I did at the computers on the other entrance. Plus it was really cold at the poker tables so dress warm if you play that. Slot area wasn't as cold for some reason.

Didn't do the BBQ place- both times we went the lines were long.

I thought the steak house was great and the Italian place so-so. We got comped at both places through the casino and was glad I didn't pay at the Italian place. Ditto about the bad singing.

My steward was great but really seemed to appreciate only having to clean once a day.

MSR took a while but I don't like to be rushed so I didn't notice much difference there. I thought the food was good there but for some reason the Onion Soup was really watery. I was with a group of seven diverse eaters and they all seemed happy.

If you want Serenity loungers be sure to get there early. It filled fast and stayed full both sea days.

We liked St Thomas the best too- just grabbed a tour off the ship and had a blast. PR did the Bacardi tour though the ship- it was fun and informative. DR did the "Give Back" excursion though the ship- total ripoff- felt like the "orphanage" (the girls aren't orphans at all. GRR) was a big shake down for money and gifts. EXTREMELY disappointed in this- not as portrayed in the least. GT did the VIP private house though the ship- was nice- but 60 ppl isn't "private" to me and food/drinks were nothing special.

I agree about America Rocks show- awesome! Flick was a bummer with tech difficulties- I would try again for sure. All in all, the shows have really stepped it up in my opinion.

No comedy for us either.

Highly recommend the Chef's Table. I've done 20 cruises and this is a foodie dream. You're seated in the middle of the action in the galley and the whole dinner is an orchestrated extravaganza. Let them know if you don't like a particular food and they will accommodate you. My friends don't like veal or lamb and they were substituted for steak and shrimp. Eight courses of totally unique food and wine/champagne included. This is NOT American Table- be prepared for sensational presentation of food not normally seen on a cruise ship. Just incredible and so delicious. Definitely the highlight of the cruise.

I won the Blackjack tourney and am playing in the Grand Final cruise on the Breeze in April- first thing I booked after my cabin was to do the Chef Dinner again.

Magic looks great.

We had a balcony suite which was nice but nothing spectacular. Jacuzzi bath didn't work and not sure if it ever got fixed. Not that much bigger in cabin although the balcony having a lounger in addition to the two chairs was nice.

Don't look to get on the ship until close to noon. We were trying to get on as close to 11 as possible because we were surprising the family and having to wait until noon (as a Platinum) was torture. Luckily, the traffic delayed the family and we pulled off the surprise. Apparently, this new rule went into effect Feb 1st in Port Canaveral- not sure if it's fleet wide or not.

Chef's Table...is there a cost to dine? Is it through advance reservation? Thanks.

Yes, unfortunately Paradise Point was the same way. They are both up steep, twisty roads and those who are faint of stomach might not do well. I'll get you his info. I know I'll include it in my review if you want to look there.

Uh, oh...I guess some of us in our group may not be able to see the views up there.

Thank you.

It wasn't really a company - it was a driver. His name is Dean Chinnery and we really enjoyed our day. He picked us up right at the port - just off the ship and we went to Paradise Point, stopped in downtown for a little shopping, went to Mountain Top and then to Secret harbor beach. If you tend to get car sick though - you might be a little wary. Roads are very curvy and very steep. Some in our party were green when we reached the top of the mountain. I can get you his info if you are interested.

 

You can actually walk to one of the forts in San Juan. I wasn't a fan of Amber Cove - we just used a taxi driver and did a quick tour of the town that day. Grand Turk was strictly a beach and Margaritaville day!

Thank you for sharing your experience. Yes, please send Dean's info and appreciate it. But might re-consider the trip to Mountain top as some people in our group may feel the same way. Was it the same going to Paradise Point?

We did but not through Carnival. We did all private tours - had drivers pre-booked in St. Thomas and San Juan and just rented a taxi in Amber Cove for a quick sightseeing tour.

Sailing in April --- if not too much to ask, can you please share the tour company in St. Thomas? How was your experience with them? Our plan is to take a taxi to the forts of San Juan and just walk around Old San Juan. But we will hire a private tour in Amber Cove for a city tour and a cable ride to the top of Isabel De Torres Mountain. What did you do in Grand Turk?

Thank you. Looking forward to your photos and reviews.

That may be why we were in Northern Lights. We had early dining assigned, but we e-mailed a request for a table for 5. There were nice booths close to our table which may be good for a party of 4. Hope you get what you are looking for in a dining experience! [emoji846]

 

 

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Hello APDMoM! Thank you for sharing your photos--great memories for you and very informative for us...cruising April 22. You mentioned that you emailed your request for a table for your group, can you please share the name & email? We are a group of 15 and we would like to be accommodated in one large table, if possible. Looks like the Southern Lights would be ideal for our group. Thanks much!

John Heald handles many of these requests, he has stated many, many times the the maitre'd does the seating assignment 4 DAYS before the cruise. The easiest thing to do is ask John for assistance on his Facebook page 4 days before you sail.

 

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nwo4life...

Thank you for this info, very helpful.

Just received an update. Carnival confirmed our request for a traditional dining at 6pm. (originally, we had anytime dining). We have a couple added to our group which brings the total to 15. All our reservations/booking are linked.

My question is....does this mean that we are now all seated together in one area in the dining room? One big table or two tables are okay with us. And do I still need to contact John for assistance on getting a seat assignment from the maitre'd?

Btw, I've learned that there are two MDRs, Northern Lights & Southern Lights...which one is preferred by most?