JCruise85

It's gotten a lot better since our first sailing in March 2022. I literally couldn't even use it the first day and when I went to their IT person they couldn't figure it out either. Turns out the solution was literally hitting an invisible button on a random point on the screen.

The official Celebrity FAQ lists frozen drinks/smoothies (though this might not include Spa Cafe smoothies) with the new Zero Proof. We have it on our reflection cruise next week and if we notice anything we can't get that we would expect I'll report back.

I'll just say I find all the "X is so much worse now" comments are kind of funny because I've been reading this since we started sailing with them in 2015. I'm sure it is, in some ways, worse than it was when Celebrity first opened. Isn't everything? (The wonderful world of cutbacks) But I sometimes wonder if it isn't just the change in food quality and more the change in people's expectations (or taste buds). In several cruising with X, we've yet to have a bad time and never not come off the cruise considerably heavier.

We're on the sailing right after yours and excited to see your updates! Haven't been on the Reflection since 2016 in the Mediterranean where we loved it and don't mind it hasn't been revolutionized. We were on Summit recently that has been, and while I like some of the upgrades, I kind of missed the older room layouts. Felt like they got rid of a lot of storage.

We just got a notice from Celebrity asking us to arrive an hour later to checkin

We moved our flights up so we'll be in Miami before noon Wednesday. Should be fine as far as we can tell.

Yeah, it seems like the suites sell out almost instantly and then the rest of the ship remains empty. I was looking at our upcoming cruise in two weeks and there was lots of availability in everything but suites were all gone.

Bose Quiet Comfort over ears will always be the go to, but they are expensive. Anymore, most in ears have some level of active noise canceling. The old Apple Air Pod Pros have fairly good noise canceling, and you can likely find them on sale as the new versions just came out. I use the new Galaxy Buds2 Pros and the noise canceling on them is excellent.

The towel animals are probably based on who your cabin steward is and if they have the time to do as such.

Pretty much. Even before Covid, there were outbreaks on cruises all the time. Or at gyms (dirty gym rats don't know how to wipe down equipment). Grocery stores. Planes. Theme parks. You name it. People get sick constantly from just interacting in the world. Best advice, if you don't want to be a recluse, is to just take smart precautions. Get your shots, wash your hands, don't lick the doorknobs (No, stop it. I don't care how tasty they look, don't do it).

Never seen a brawl on a Celebrity ship but an elderly gentleman did bring a knife to the formal night party. It was apparently to pop balloons, so it was both annoying and unnerving.

Yes. In the US, there's generally an $800 limit to items you can purchase outside the US and bring back without paying taxes. Regardless of where you purchased them. Certainly, no one should feel they are being harassed or targeted, but "Duty/Tax free" is similar to "Lifetime warranty" it's a marketing term to get sales. It doesn't mean what it should mean.

I don't know how anyone wears hats for long periods anyway. Always makes my head itchy.

Man, I'd love to see the fast food places they go to. Drive through seared duck, salmon tartare and veal sounds like an experience.

This happens constantly to me. Won't let me access stuff like Excursions or changes to a cruise. It just randomly unlocks a day or two later.

People have been complaining about cruising standards going downhill since commercial cruising was a thing. Almost as if things change over time or something.

I haven't been on Silhouette since 2019 (just months before the happening), but I was on Virgin this past February. They both have their plus and minuses. I will say, the all included restaurants on Virgin are amazing. Gunbae is food heaven and the Galley is great. The atmosphere is definitely more lively. They have an actual party club by the casino that will blow your ear drums if you're there too long. Celebrity is definitely more traditional. The entertainment is definitely better and more organized on Celebrity as Virgin is still getting a footing there. Also, Cafe Al Bacio is my favorite place on any cruise. Crews on both are great, but Virgin has a slight edge here (from my experience). They're very friendly, not pushy and will go out of their way to make you happy. It can be kind of a toss up. We have a Celebrity booked this year and a Virgin next, we really enjoy both lines, but for very different reasons.

Either from the app or from a tablet at the tables in the Galley the ability to order food. Even on lighter sailings, we've had trouble getting service (and most of the stations will not just give you food).

I guarantee some people cared. And a few probably even complained to their maitre d'. (I have seen more than one older person or couple throw their napkins down in disgust and leave in the middle of dinner when someone in shorts walked in) The crew, however, would be very unlikely to say anything because it honestly doesn't effect them as long as the person isn't being disruptive to the dining process.

Some (many?) live for it.

Cafe Al Bacio is where I spend probably half the cruise on an X ship.

We went in February and have a second (longer) cruise booked for next year. It's my favorite line. The food is outstanding. I could literally eat at Gunbae every night and the Galley always seems to have more than one thing I want (curse having only a single stomach). The staff went out of their way to make us feel welcomed and happy. The scarlet night was rainy and cold so they did everything inside and it was a blast. Lots of games and activities all over the ship.