TeeRick

Any S-Class ship is my favorite. Most recently on Equinox.

There will likely be cases on every ship, every cruise. And some after people get home.

Thanks for reporting your observations here. Have a great cruise!

Any cruise with stops in Croatia! We did this on Constellation a few years ago. It was memorable!

Most negative comments recently on food and service have not really been directed at Luminae and The Retreat. You should enjoy it!

Any bar but selection is limited to the Elite HH menu.

There are many posts about the poor quality of food and choices in the MDR since Jan 1. So what you report is typical in 2023 cruises. You mention that you would go to the OVC every night for dinner instead of the MDR. Did you try it for dinner on your cruise? Or just breakfast and lunch? The OVC for dinner has been cut back dramatically in 2023.

In general I personally would choose an S-Class ship (like Reflection) over an E-Class ship (like APEX). To some extent it would be an itinerary driven choice. You did not mention the type of cabin you are considering. If in a suite, APEX has a nicer Retreat area to consider and both ships have Luminae for dining. If in Aqua then both ships have Blu for dining. If in a balcony cabin, Reflection has traditional balconies. APEX has the Infinite Veranda (non-traditional) so you need to do your homework a bit on these. Many do not like them, others do.

Thanks Georgia. I was very obviously reviewing my personal experience on a cruise Jan 2023 in the non-suite, non-dining areas of Equinox that I encountered. I said nothing about my cabin or amount of time spent there. It was about the service and staff in public areas accessible to all. I even listed them. If we cruise in a suite, a significant amount of our waking time on a cruise is spent in the public areas on the ship. That's it. Not sure why this has become so controversial.

Thanks for ridiculing my post with your rant to another poster. Class act.

I refuse to participate any more in this with you. You clearly are missing my points or just prefer to suite-bash.

OK NMT just believe what you want. I am not trying to change your views and strong opinions. I was just giving my (unbiased) observations of the non-suite areas of the ship. I stated up front that I did not use the MDR and acknowledged the issues there and with the OVC at dinner. Well documented. The fraction of the time I spent in non-suite public areas on my cruise was probably over 90%. On Equinox we had dinner in Luminae- once a day. But not even every day as we did several Specialty restaurants. That is it. We did not use the Retreat Sun Deck once. Found it too hot and isolated. We were a couple of brief times in the Retreat Lounge but we instead used the Martini Bar, World Class Bar, Ensemble Lounge. Craft Social, etc. We like the entertainment and variety in these bars over the Retreat Lounge. We used the theatre. We used the casino (and lost). We used the Spa. We used the shops. We used the restrooms. We used the OVC for breakfast and lunch. Everything that non-Suite passengers also do on a Celebrity cruise. That was the whole point of my post. The cruise was excellent in all of those areas and service was very good and not understaffed. Try it for yourself.

So what's wrong with serving a nice tasty meatloaf? I would order it.

Very salty butter- do they charge an extra fee for that too? 😊

Sorry to hear that. I hope your case is mild and you recover in a few days!

On my recent cruise I tipped extra cash in envelopes on the last evening. I will not mention the amounts but will give the list. The Butler The Room Steward The Retreat Concierge The Luminae Team (a group shared tip as they prefer) Sometimes if we use the Retreat Lounge a lot- the Retreat bartender. This time we did not use the bartender or staff in the Retreat.

Did you actually read my post? I admitted I was in a suite - but my post was about the staff and services in the non-suite areas that I encountered which are many and varied on any ship. I was trying to be balanced. I did not post about my suite experience.

I understand differing opinions on things like MDR food quality and portions and variety since Jan.1 this year. Seems to be a real thing right now. And documented cutbacks in the OVC dinner selections for sure. But I did cruise (on Equinox) Jan 21-30. It was an excellent cruise. Not just because I was in a suite but some here will say that. But we were in many non-suite situations on board so I will comment on that. Many folks here saying that the ships have reduced staff - but how is that opinion documented? Is it a feeling? Even if you have not cruised yet this year? OK we occasionally waited in line for drinks at the Martini Bar in early evening - quite normal . On our cruise there was plenty of staff at Cafe al Bacio, every other bar, specialty restaurants, Guest Services, Shore Excursions, etc. In fact the OCV in the morning and lunchtime had plenty of staff bussing tables, serving coffee, and managing the buffet items. The theatre had staff serving drinks without issue. There were plenty of staff cleaning every public area around the ship constantly. The restrooms were almost always staffed (at mealtimes) and very clean. I did not at all notice a dramatic lack of general staff on our cruise. And I had my eyes open and ready to see it from reading all the comments here. Is this reporting my experience? - or because it doesn't fit the negative narrative will it be called cheerleading?

Why do you think the demand for cruising will go away in 2024? Bookings appear to be strong so far.

Or is it Amuse-Bouche?

Like with Crystal Cruises for example?

If everything is so bad as some seem to say here on the Celebrity board- why are people still cruising and paying high prices? The ships are going out near capacity. Somebody must like something. I have respect for those that have cruised and offered their opinion (either good or bad). But there are a lot of people here who have not cruised on Celebrity (yet) in 2023 who seem to have made up their minds in advance that the cruise will be awful based upon other's opinions feeding off each other. Just cruise and see for yourself.

This thread- "Is COVID Now a Non-Issue?" How do any of us answer that really? That requires a highly subjective opinion by those answering. And their personal risk profile. Non-issue compared to what? Covid in 2020? Other viruses - Flu, RSV, Noro? Health status and age? As we can see from the thread there are quite a few opinions offered. But it is really just a personal perspective for every one of us. A non-issue for me might be a tremendous issue for others. I am going about my daily life, and cruising, and just taking precautions when I feel I need too. I can say for me anyway that now in 2023 it is much less of an issue.

This COVID data from cruise ships is not public information anymore. No announcements on board. No way to know how many in quarantine. If the cruise lines are keeping track on board then they are keeping the data private. A few cases reported post-cruise here and there on CC. Not a statistical representation. Just random reports. And most cases are not serious from what is being mentioned here. There is no public CDC information on this anymore. We just need to live with it and protect ourselves as we feel most comfortable.

And mine was fourth. But after that it continued to be creative so congrats to the OP. I will put SPAM in my Super Bowl chili today and see if anybody notices!🏈