TheHawk1

Sure, consider your boarding time just a "suggestion". Great news to those of us that sit up until midnight the day that check in opens, which is what I did several weeks for a recent cruise, so that I was able to receive an 11:30am boarding time. But let's have everyone just show up when they feel like it. Doesn't seem fair or appropriate to those of us who actually follow their assigned time.

Just got back from a cruise stop at Grand Cayman, where I thought I was following the advice described here. Jumped in a shared taxi at the ground transportation area of the port with other strangers and when we reached Public Beach was told to pay $12 pp for round trip. Tried to tell the driver we ust wanted to pay for one way, but was coerced into paying full price and guaranteed a return time. When it came time to return to port, of course no taxi in sight. Had not thought to ask for a return ticket, so all we had was a wristband with the driver's name, which was not transferable to any of the other taxis. So, ended up paying a second time for a different taxi to take us back to ship. Felt totally scammed by this situation. These taxis should have better regulation, so beware.

Just got off Apex and had an SV on Deck 9. Not a peep for seven nights.

Just got off the March 2-9 Apex sailing and found Eden to be the highlight of the week. If you stick to the seafood options, they were all excellent and service was on point. It’s my second Eden experience and I feel it’s the best specialty restaurant on E class. As for Rooftop Grill, we considered it, but every time we went up to that deck to the Sunset Bar or just walking around, it was a gail force wind event. I can’t imagine trying to eat dinner up there under those conditions.

I took this tour last February while on Edge and thought it was definitely one of the better excursions offered by Celebrity. Have been to St. Kitt's several times and always found it boring, but Nevis seemed a little more authentic. The bus tour was interesting and the lunch and beach break, while short, were quite good. And the ferry ride back was a nice way to cool off at the end of the day. I highly recommend as well.

It would be better if you took a picture while they were actually sitting there. A little public shaming never hurts to call attention to such rude behavior.

Why, when Oasis class has been so popular and such a money-maker for them? Personally, I think RCI has taken a step backwards with Icon class, e.g. too big, too garish, too child friendly, etc. I'd be much happier seeing a new Oasis ship, as the Oasis and Allure are approx fifteen years old and getting a little long in the tooth.

There is an 11 day Celebrity Cruise in 2026 that has the same itinerary, but you disembark in Auckland, rather than taking the extra sea days to go back to Sydney. I'm thinking of starting my vacation in Australia for a week or so, then doing that cruise to tour parts of NZ I wouldn't otherwise see and then having a few days in Auckland at the end before coming home. Hopefully it's a good plan.

Yes, that is the one I was referring to. Coincidentally, both reviewers seem to be Canadian, so you would think they would be easy-going about everything, as we're all so gosh darn polite 😄

There is another Apex review on the boards now, from the same cruise I believe. They seem to have had a more positive vacation than you, so I hope theirs is closer to my own trip when I board Apex in two weeks. I found it interesting you focused on the interaction with your wait staff rather than the food itself? Personally, I don’t care whether I develop a relationship with crew members. Sure, it’s helpful if they know your drink order or coffee preferences after night two, but it won’t make or break my dining experience. I’d much rather the food be good and I get in and out in a timely fashion, so I can spend my evening doing other things.

There really is no nice way of saying you’d rather not spend your vacation with “those people”. But I get your point.

Is “gen pop” the new politically correct term for riff raff or hoi polloi?

Cured tuna, salmon sashimi, beef tartare, pig's foot carpaccio... just some of the delicacies currently on the Luminae menu. Celebrity couldn't pay me to eat any of those. And please don't tell me that my palate just isn't refined enough. When I'm on vacation, I want to eat food that I will enjoy, not a bunch of raw food that someone else has defined as elevated cuisine.

I’m not sure that people who are paying Retreat prices should be told it’s only a place for foodie snobs, otherwise eat elsewhere? Hardly the definition of good customer service. I’ve experienced Luminae recently and would agree with others here that it was the least impressive of the suite perks.

Last October on a Sunday, walked off the ship at 7:00 am. No line for taxis, and was at the airport by 7:30. Flight to LGW was at 11:15. I was completely bored waiting at gate for 3 hours. I’d say you have more than enough time, but there could be other extenuating factors.

The Solarium is one area of major difference, with Harmony having no pool, but Wonder being completely enclosed, with only windows for fresh air. In that case, I preferred Harmony. Windjammer is the other differentiator, where Wonder has a new u-shaped designed, which is much better for traffic flow and crowds than the older Harmony design. Harmony is also getting a little long in the tooth (almost 9 years old). If you prefer newer ships like I do and the price difference is not a consideration, then I would choose Wonder.

Best cruising secret tip I've seen on these Boards in awhile. Will attempt this in a few weeks on Apex.

I would agree with that. Ten years ago, Royal (my only other frame of reference) was almost as rigid as Celebrity, but now they've progressed with changing generational standards and have (somewhat) relaxed their dress guidelines. Their discussion forums have followed suit (no pun intended) and for the most part people no longer hyper-ventilate over this topic. Only on Celebrity does there seem to be an old guard who just can't let this go. Still dreaming of the golden age of cruising, where it was tuxes and ball gowns every evening and the people in steerage knew their place. Times have changed... wish I could say the same for some of the posters here 😁

I have been on all five Oasis ships (some more than once) and have enjoyed every one of them. Royal hit the sweet spot with that ship class, Now they’ve gone and messed it up trying to outdo Disney. Not for me.

I agree the photos have been great and appreciate the time spent writing this review for everyone. But nothing I’ve seen changed my opinion that Royal has created the first floating amusement park at sea, rather than another elegant cruise ship. If I want a cruise fix on a brand new ship from Royal, I’ll just have to wait for Utopia.

On ships with Freestyle machines, I say yes. The variety of sodas offered (when they’re working properly) beats what you are offered at the bars or restaurants. Plus the cups with lids are better by the pool instead of an open cup. I also try to time package purchase when it’s slightly on sale, which is rare.

Just curious, why the recommendation for Public beach rather than say Governor beach? It appears to be farther up the coast, ie further away from cruise port, so wondering why it’s the better choice?

Only one month into the new year and this topic already. One of my resolutions is not getting sucked into participating in online dress code debates. Oops, there goes that. 😬

Thank you for this! It’s a great idea that I wish more reviewers would follow (even though I was not the commenter you were referencing, I couldn’t agree more). Somewhere along the way, there developed a standard format for live reviews here, which so many now follow. It typically starts a week before the cruise (or heaven forbid, longer than that), whereby the author starts trying to build reader excitement by showing us what they’re packing in their suitcase, followed by the trip to the airport, where they parked, what they ate on the plane, their arrival at the port city, etc. Then we get to hear all the scintillating details regarding what hotel they chose pre-cruise (and why), followed by a detailed review of what they had for dinner. Isn’t that what Tripadvisor and Yelp are for? This is called CruiseCritic for a reason. Apologies for highjacking your excellent live blog with my small rant. But I do hope more reviewers will follow your lead in the future and warn everyone about all the non-cruise fluff in their posts. Thanks and have a great cruise!

As if we needed any further proof that RCI is now chasing the "family" demographic and ignoring adults... from Chicago and Mamma Mia to this!