Pack Leader

2 hours ago, lesliew said:

Did you fly out same day in Istanbul?  How was your airport transfer? 

We have a flight departing at 1:30 on arrival day so not super tight but want to be as early as possible + least amount of hassle.   We are doing our own transportation (meaning it's not included) so wondering if we should use the Regent Transfer or book our own.

When you come off the ship there is a queue of yellow taxis. This is in the underground level that you come out at and is the opposite side to the coaches you face when you come out into the underground area. We took one to the airport and taxi $50 which is a bargain. It is actually better to pay in dollars as they quoted the same in Euros. Our flight was 13.10 and we were off the ship at 08.30

13 hours ago, Portolan said:

It does according to the deck plans in the same location as Explorer and Splendor.  Perhaps the OP meant that there wasn't a sail-away deck party (which we've only encountered in bad weather).  Also, the Pool Bar on the other ships close early, but always stayed open through the sail-away...unless it was an evening departure (>6:30 or so)?  (In rereading the OP, I think they were referring to an outside stern bar).

What i mean is that the pool bar on the pool deck is to one side of the ship with glass walls to the outside. Other ships have a bar at the back of the ship, giving 180 degree views and no full height glass walls so you enjoy great views on sail aways. I have had this on Celebrity Silhouette and Infinity and it is always enjoyable. They chose not to include this type of open air bar on these ships. Shame

12 minutes ago, irishwitchy said:

Did any excursions, stand out?  

Kotor was a unique place, very beautiful and the tour was great too. The guide in Kusadasi was very funny. They were all interesting tours with experienced guides. We had been to many of the stops previously so this time we chose tours that took us to other areas, rather than the main attractions of an island or a town.

39 minutes ago, CJANDH said:

Maybe because they can then increase the number of staterooms! Just a thought. 😁

Oh i know!

Beautiful ship

Great Staff

Great cabin

Great theatre shows - cast were all fantastic 

Cruise director David Nevin very good

We enjoyed the food. Pacific Rim was favourite.

Waiters do not always know the included wines - hardly saw the Sommelier 

Guest entertainers poor

Good excursions, well organised, great tour guides for the most part 

On board musical acts average

Missing an outside bar for sailaways, al la Celebrity Sunset Bar

Misses an Infinity pool

Food at times hit and miss, many anecdotal comments made to us. Overall very good however.

There is sound transference between cabins, minor but noticeable

The ship has a minor constant vibration - quite surprising on a new ship and mentioned by others too

Why is the service so much better in the speciality restaurants?

Chartreuse - just don’t get it. Many other passengers said they did not enjoy Chartreuse 

These are all minor issues and overall we loved the cruise and the ship, but there is room for improvement on board and in the next ship design. Have only been on Voyager before, last year, so look forward to trying Splendor and Explorer

We were in a superior suite- same as Concierge, having been upgraded. Our H level veranda would have had no walk in wardrobe, unlike Voyager. Why do newer ships have to have smaller cabins!?

I suggest they sell the Faberge egg and replace it with a Scotch Egg and install an infinity pool and sunset bar! Complete waste of money - never saw it paid much attention (although I am a born cynic)

Happy to answer any questions 

For anyone who is interested this is the current list

Captain Ionnis is our Greek Captain. Adult only show last night was very good, Captain is very funny.

The family whose children "stole" so many Easter eggs at the Easter buffet, then displayed their haul on their table should be ashamed. I am sure some children must have missed out. Many people around this family were giving them stern looks. If I could I would name and shame them.

We are really enjoying this ship, she feels modern. We are in a sunset Veranda and there is no noise or vibration what so ever, one if our ore-cruise worries. Food quality overall has dropped and drink prices have increased so we have had to take the premium drinks package. 2 previous cruises on Silhouette for comparison. We would happily sail on either 

For those wondering the ship does not feel old and there has been a light refresh. New carpets are the most obvious thing. Crew are friendly although they leave plates a long time in some of the outside areas. Food good so far. We have an Aft Sunset Veranda with a long balcony. No vibration and no noise from the engines. Really surprised at that. Noisiest thing is the A/C which is like an idling jet engine. Some alarm was beeping outside the cabin at 5am but hopefully a one off, otherwisei will gave a word. There was another lady looking outside her cabin when i went to investigate so maybe she reported it. WiFi is very slow so I am turning it off in port and using roaming data. Coffee in Cafe Al Baccio is poor. Very weak, real shame. Yes I have asked for double shots, and I like a medium strength so it must be weak. Overall, had some concerns about the age of the ship but feels very similar to Silhouette I sailed on pre pandemic and pleasantly surprised 

I have posted the wine list for the packages in a new thread, now I am on board 

For those interested. Something I could not find prior to my trip so may be of use, as Celebrity have jacked up their prices taking many things above the Classic package and some above the Premium package. We are sailing full I am told. Thessalonoki is a bit of a dull overnight port. Weather is overcast. Of the red wines in the package I found the Souveraine to be very good. Certainly I preferred it to Decoy.

1 hour ago, capsplace said:

I am a Chardonnay drinker.  I find the Elegance Chard to be very good, and I order it regularly while onboard.  The Elegance wines are made by Kendall Jackson and are EXCLUSIVE onboard Celebrity cruiseships.  You cannot get these wines anywhere else.  And I think they taste much better than a KJ chard, just my opinion.  Once onboard, it's the first drink I request.  They fit within the Premium drink pkg pricing.

Thanks, my wife loves Kendall Jackson regular Chardonnay 

Thanks, that was what I was finding, no drinks menus in the app. Looking for prices on cocktails like Pina Colada, Espresso Martini, nothing too fancy and my wife drinks Chardonnay. There used to be Seeker, which was $9 previously then there is another called Elegance at $17 just can not find any more information or options. Think we will upgrade to a Premium Package to give us more options. Previously we have survived on the Classic Package, but Celebrity have moved the goal posts!

I am sailing in 2 weeks on Infinity. There are no drinks menus on the App. With the increase in prices, but not in the amount included in the Classic package we are considering upgrading to the Premium package but wanted to see some wine and cocktail prices to work out if it is worth upgrading or paying the extra as we go. I think on past sailings we have seen drink prices in the app but not this time.

What times are the theatre shows on? Thinking that I do not want to miss a show because I have a speciality restaurant booked. Although I suppose until we are on board we will not know which nights the theatre shows are on? Thanks 

I would recommend a tour in Istanbul which includes the Hagia Sofia, Blue Mosque and The Cistern. All amazing and must see. Local guide a good, cheaper option.

On 1/26/2024 at 1:12 PM, villauk said:

I think there will be a mass exodus from the U.K. over the next few months to the Greek Isles on Infinity 😁 - the prices were too good to miss 😉.

I am one of those. So cheap!

Yes David Nevin. Predictive text!

Just had a check on Google. We can’t buy in the UK.

Yes, this is the wine I was drinking. It is very good, no idea how much it costs as that is not relevant to me if it tastes good. Price only a guide in some cases, not all.

F&B manager just joined from another ship. Not sure of his name. He was very nice when we spoke. European, perhaps Swiss? David Nevis is CD.

The cruise before mine on Voyager, which ended 14th May, where after we were on for 12 nights, was a charter by Colonial Insurance. 400 guests who drank the ship dry on day 1 according to the crew. Party 24/7. The sector after us, 26th May was also supposed to be a charter. I felt sorry for the 8 guests that were doing a back to back cruise, one couple from Australia and I am sure complaints would be made. They seemed unaware that their second leg was a charter!

I think I have thrown the flyer away. They were Med cruises, 7 days £3500 and 10 days £4000 roughly. The only one that was out of the heat would have been September 10 day cruise, all from memory. Tried a quick look on Regent website and could not find it.

Raymond Cabernet was the one I was drinking

Just received Regent list of highly discounted Mariner cruises. Wasn't sure why these offers were just on Mariner.

I worked my way through the available Reds and settled on drinking the above 3 as my favourites. I would serve them at a Dinner Party.