marieps

Thanks to all respondents. Beautiful forecast for Miami tomorrow. Can’t wait.

I haven't sailed O since before the pandemic, but have been on =X= a few times. Please tell me whether suite guests on O can board at their leisure once boarding opens, as is =X= policy, or whether they have to adhere strictly to their times. Secondly, does O allow passengers to go immediately to their cabins to drop their luggage before going to lunch and exploring the ship while the attendants finish up their cabin duties? Thanks for any info.

Thank you! We board Friday.

Thank you.

Hey All, The Riviera deck plan references "paddle tennis" on deck 16. Do they mean pickleball or something else? Thanks.

Geoff, I think it's a very good sign when new or even seasoned cruisers join CC and ask questions that have been previously answered. Frankly, I think the search function here is clunky, and I like the fact so many cruise veterans are here to share their experience, even if it's over and over again.

We don't look it at just as a good value. Cruising is our vacation of choice. We have done three A.I. vacations in recent years but it always comes back to cruising.

I have been told by multiple staff that all waiters and assistants pool the cash anyway. Hosts share with other hosts. Only butlers and stewards keep it all. On some lines bartenders do not share in the tack on bar tab percentage, so they keep whatever they get in cash while bar servers share in tack on gratis.

Not to hijack an O thread but I'm just off =X= Equinox in Luminae and they got it right about 90%. The chef took beef carpaccio off the MDR menu at the last minute but prepared it for us special 3 nights in a row. As with O, it's about the service as well as the food.

The recent very favorable review of the Beyond EV certainly did not get flamed, but for its alleged click bait heading.

Yes it's been posted a couple of times. Just paid my $1,000 statement, waiting for my $350 credit on Blue Sky card.

If you mean the former Solstice Deck on the forward Deck 16, that is now the Retreat deck as Sillie has been Revolutionized.

Welcome to Cruise Critic. There is a sport court but I have not seen any PB markings. I've never seen anyone playing PB on it. There is no PB activity as there is with Table Tennis, Cornhole, putting and pool volley ball. Just as an aside, Reflection is singular, and there is no "the." Enjoy your time here, and your cruise. Reflection is a marvelous ship.

This poster has contributed several valuable pieces of info to this thread. As the son of a Maine Maritime graduate, many thanks.

Until the "somebodies" include China and India, these tiny contributions to sustainability are meaningless, IMO.

This is interesting. Is blu in a different location on Beyond? Perhaps they opened the al fresco section, which they never did when I was on Edge.

I don't believe so. The difference comes in the variety offered. E class Blu is in a horrible location far from the main galley. You can't simply order the MDR entre as you can on S or M class. I found the food on Edge not nearly as good as the Reflection AQ cruise I took a year ago. FWIW, I just got off Equinox three weeks ago. Luminae served a veal chop that was stunning in size and presentation and cooked to perfection.

May I ask what ship you were on in January? The Blu experience is vastly different ship to ship.

Was there in December and going back on Riviera in three weeks. No need. Enjoy your cruise.

Thanks for the quick response.

I have a question about Ponant. Do they have an air program? We are doing Le Lyrial's Austral Loop in Feb 2024. Delta's schedule is not open yet to BA and my TA did not mention Ponant air as an option.

I've never sailed Princess so I couldn't speak to that. Shower or not, our cruise on Regatta was a joy.

The menu has changed a bit. Strawberry Fields is off the menu, as is the drink that tastes like a margarita. The run old fashioned is still there, as is the Celebrity Ten. Hendri has invented a coffee martini called an Aroma. It's the bomb. He'll give you the recipe in the class. It's off menu but he'll be happy to make it for you.

We always carry a stack on 1's each night to make sure the bartenders are aware of our thanks for their service. We tend be become fast friends with whomever is tending at WCB. It's our go to since the Martini Bar is usually crowded and the wait can be a bit much.

We were on Regatta in the fall of 2019 and the refurb was very nice, but it's still an R class ship and if not in a suite the bathrooms are TINY. Showers like a phone booth. We've opted for a PH on Insignia in 2024 for that reason alone.