Katstress

Hello In the Bubble! Glad you asked the question, I was wondering the same thing, as we are also taking a cruise on Scenic Eclipse II. September of this year. Never too early to start planning! 
I’m very much looking forward to experiencing such a new ship. 

I just have to jump in! I was on the same cruise, you just snuck in the statement about the hot glass blowing class and mentioned it being a cool experience. I did it as well, and it was my favorite part of the cruise! What fun it was to make a personal souvenir, and getting to do way more than I expected. Heating the glass, spinning, adding color, and even blowing with a handheld pump.  
The only bad part was worrying about how to get my beautiful purple and lilac bowl home without breaking it, but they had boxes for transport and it made it! 

I was on the same cruise as Broker1217, and also in Aqua Class.  This was not my first Celebrity cruise, nor my first cruise in Aqua Class on a Solstice ship. I agree with much of what Broker1217 said, this trip was in no way close to past cruises on Celebrity, and I was disappointed.
I felt the wine selection was much more limited than in the past, and our sommelier left a lot to be desired, white or red was the prevailing question. I was used to more information and suggestions based on what I was eating. Once I found a Shiraz I liked (based on another passenger’s recommendation), I stuck with that, or the champagne.  The drinks were extremely watered down, and the food, not nearly as good as previous cruises.  Thank goodness we were in Blu, it was consistently better (but not nearly as good as before) than food in other locations. 
The saving grace? THE STAFF! They worked so hard, and were as attentive and helpful as they could be, being short staffed. 
I have to admit, I will reconsider a trip on Celebrity on the near future, and will count on future reviews to see if they return to their previous excellent food, wine, and shows.  

21 hours ago, nomadguy said:

Aqua also gives you a bottle of champagne at embarkation (If you request it) and bottled water (I'm guessing 2 bottles)! As noted previously - I found these amenities as well for Aqua Class - "priority seating at Blu restaurant, Relaxation Room & access to The Sea thermal suite, personal spa concierge, expanded room service breakfast menu, personal training sessions, wellness consultations, and spa-inspired stateroom touches (Bossini shower panel, aromatherapy diffusers, pillow menus, daily deliveries of flavored tea and fresh fruit, bottle of sparkling wine, welcome bottled water)."

 

I'm anxious to see their "pillow" menu!

Just curious about the “if you request it” in regards to the sparkling wine.  When do you request it? From room steward? Just curious if any recent travelers have any insight. We are booked in Aqua class on Solstice in 2020.

13 minutes ago, scarlett95 said:

As I am sitting here on the bus to Passau, our program director just raced down here to tell us the Egil will meet us in Passau and there will be no ship swap! Is Pfelling before or after Passau? Maybe they are thinking they won’t scrape bottom as bad since all the people are off loaded to buses? Anyway the program director indicated that he fought for us to continue and I saw the Tor swapping today so I am very grateful! 

Hello! And congratulations on no ship swap! Pfelling is before Passau, so if your ship is sailing from Straubing to Passau, that is good news and you will no longer have to worry about Pfelling and possible low water. 

I am on the Emerald Sun and will look for your ship on the river! 

Reporting from Emerald Sun. We moored at Straubing on Monday, bussed to Passau for our tours, and bussed back. Last night, to a rousing cheer, they reported we were going to continue on to Vienna (skipping Melk due to timing issues).  Latest report was 278 at Pfelling, which apparently is enough water for passage, with some slight scraping heard as we passed over rocks.  They emptied the pool and informed us that Emerald ships only have 1.7 meters below the waterline, compared 2 meters on Viking. A small jab to the competition! 

So a day of relaxed sailing, with very happy passengers. 

Hello Notamermaid,

I always smile when I see your name, as I am officially a mermaid. One day you should look up Weeki Watchee Springs in Florida, they have a Sirens of the Deep mermaid weekend, where they take ten women and teach you how to swim with a mermaid tail, and how to perform as a mermaid, well, perform might be a little of an exaggeration! It was still fun, and you end up with a certificate to “prove” you are officially a mermaid.  

Anyway, yes, we are in Regensburg today, and supposed to sail past Straubing later thonight.  Last night they finally announced that there might be a problem, but they have a plan, A, B, and C.  The cruise director also made a plea to not worry, and still have fun.  I will say, sadly, the complaining and second guessing started right after the announcement, which might be why they wait so long to announce.  

I plan to enjoy my day in Regensburg, and let what happens, happen!

Katstress

On Emerald Sun, just left Nuremberg, with a final destination of Budapest.  Not one mention of the river levels, and the very likely possibility of not completing our trip on the ship, as there are apparently no EmeraldWaterways ships to which we can swap.  Except for my Mother and I, knowing what we know, everyone else is blissfully ignorant. It will be interesting how this all plays out.  I’ve had fun and accept anything that comes our way, but I do wish they were more honest about what might happen. 

Will update on the next few days. I’ve appreciated the updates from others on this board. 

Hello!

My Mom and I  did this cruise with Emerald in October of 2018.  We loved it. The ship is small, due to the lock sizes. This means the rooms are slightly smaller, but still with plenty of room.  We spent so little time in our rooms the size didn’t matter.  The ship holds around  112 passengers and this means you get to know your fellow passengers and crew very well.

In terms of the cruise, no cruising at night, but this means you can lounge on the sun deck during the short trips between stops, watching the beautiful scenery go by.  The stops are mostly in small towns, or villages, with surprisingly good local port/wine tastings and great tours by Emerald. 

Take part in the fun onboard activities, I won a nice bottle of port at a blind taste testing competition and made a neat painted tile. 

If you have specific questions, feel free to ask. 

And don’t miss the vineyard dinner, it was wonderful, and so much fun!

I’m taking the Douro cruise on Emerald Waterways in two weeks, with three days in Lisbon. I was informed by my travel agent that cruises on the Douro have Portuguese crews (except the cruise director) due to the laws. I did find this report to be helpful in terms of what to expect   https://www.nancyandshawnpower.com/douro-river-cruise-review-portugal-spain/ 

I’ll update after our trip!