marieps

Linda (Post #16) and I met on Summit's repositioning last year. It was a fabulous cruise and I totally agree with the OP about the staff. M class still has its charms. I hope =X= keeps them sailing.

We were surprised to see a guest laundry on Magna, as I didn't notice it on the deck plan. Do all your ships have guest laundry? We'll be on Ama Cello in 2024. Thanks!

Riviera had both pickleball and paddle tennis gear. Can be windy, though. I felt the net was a bit close and can impede play.

We scored 8006, under the Ladies' Restroom for Insignia's 2024 WB TA. Very happy with that location.

Back to topic: Our next is Sillie's TA in October. The Azores and Bermuda will be new for us. Then it's Antarctica on Ponant in Feb '24, followed by a French river cruise in August on AmaWaterways B2B with another TA on Oceania out of Southampton doing France, Ireland and Canada. They all sound amazing.

Hi David, We did Xped in 2012. It's amazing. One tip: Don't rush to be the first on a panga. Often the last panga out has fewer people and the best guide, because the guides know they'll have a smaller group. Enjoy!

Hi David, We did Xped in 2012. It's amazing. One tip: Don't rush to be the first on a panga. Often the last panga out has fewer people and the best guide, because the guides know they'll have a smaller group. Enjoy!

My butler in an EQ sunset sky suite was very good, but the one on Summit (sky suite) was outstanding. He also had the PH.

Very disappointing the RS butler was so inattentive. You'd think they'd put one of their best in that spot.

Strange how it works differently on different ships. We were told you have to put 10% of the "room charge" amount at risk before you can cash out. We play the max on a $1.5 machine. It takes only 7 spins and you've played enough to cash out. If you cash out after only one bet, you are locked out of the "room charge" option for 24 hours. That happened to DW once.

Same for me, David. I emailed to get OBC on the holiday cruise last year and the form let me fill out the Silhouette TA which would sail a year later. No problem. Hope you're well.

If you have Acrobat there is an erase function. Otherwise you can print, sharpee the acct # and rescan.

We were on Riviera last month. The Goat Cheese souffle at Jacques was phenomenal. We enjoyed Red Ginger as well. I hope you get to try those two venues. Grand Dining was not great for us. Many temperature issues.

Yes they do. Available in all bars, except maybe WCB. I'm not there to drink tonic, so no great loss. Just off Equinox in January.

If Alex is your butler, he will do pretty much anything you ask of him. His pat answer to a request is, "Of course."

Totally different on Riviera Feb 10. We had to go to the theatre with the crowd. It was explained to us that O did not want to staff each muster station with two crew members from the beginning embarkation to just before sail away, as staff resources were tight and that's what the "check off" system demands. Glad E muster is back.

I think the problem is the class of ship. M class Blu was carved out of the MDR, as was Luminae. S class Blu was built into the design and has far more space. We've sailed AQ ten times (once and ONLY once on E class). We've never had a horrible wait time. Hope you have a better experience if you give it another shot on a larger ship.

If the OP had Uber or Lyft dollars in the bank, that's another option. Uber from Terminal J in Miami last month was a breeze.

Maybe my butler was trying to be proactive. Our SS on Summit a year ago also had sodas, tonic and beer in the fridge. It too was cold, rather than cool. Might it be certain Hotel Mgrs or F&B Mgrs are more generous than others in how they run things on certain ships? I don't know. I'll be in an SS on Sillie in October for the TA and I would hope to find the fridge stocked as I have in the last year.

Happily, our mini fridge on EQ on the holiday cruise was surprisingly cold. This was in a Sky Suite.

The post did not mention whether the OP was in a suite. Suite fridges are stocked with beverages included in the fare.

I thought the pool on Riviera, at more than 5' deep all around, was a bit too deep. Especially so considering the number of passengers with mobility challenges. JMHO.

It also depends on the prevailing wind and sun. The direction of your voyage makes a big diff.

The Yeti is the best cruise must have since water.

Thanks so much for the clarification. Now I get it. Our Regent cabin (many years ago) did not include a butler, but not having to hand over a room key with every cocktail order was a big plus. Sail well.