phoenix_dream

This! I’ve also noticed that many of the bad reviews and super complaining posts seem to be coming from people coming out of the woods so to speak. Meaning, they may participate in Roll Calls or other boards, but I’ve rarely seen them post in Celebrity threads. So they suddenly show up to rant and rave. Where were their posts about the great cruises? Where is their participation in commenting and helping other cruisers? I take their comments with a grain of salt. No, make that a whole chunk of salt. Are their comments wrong or not validated? Not necessarily. But I’ll pay more attention when someone like you or another I recognize and know to be a more reasoned critic posts about their experiences.

I sailed her last year and had a wonderful time. She has not been revolutionized so there is a little wear and tear here and there but I didn't find anything bothersome. And BTW, the beds were very comfortable! I have also sailed multiple times recently on S class ships and have not had a bad cruise yet. Yes, there are some cutbacks as you would find on any cruise line right now. But overall service was excellent, entertainment was good, food ranged from good to very good, etc.. And you are right - no embarkation champagne anymore. But is the line still a cut above Carnival and NCL? No question. Better than Royal? Depends what you like. Depending on the ship Royal may have a little better entertainment experience. But overall I would advise you to relax. And please report back - I have a B2B on Eclipse in a couple of months and would love to hear your feedback as well🙂

I know - how rude is that?!?! For someone using it legitimately, fine, no issue. But trying to sneak in way more than you are allowed by working the system, not fine. Selfish and inconsiderate.

As respects being near the elevator, that's our favorite spot to be. Never had any noise issue due to elevator location.

Unfortunately not everyone is considerate (and yes, I know this can apply to adult behavior as well). On a recent cruise in a suite there was a baby - I'd estimate 9 months or so. He would fuss and cry off and on and the parents just sat there in Luminae with him. I'm not anti-kid. I sailed with mine from the time he was 3, but I was always considerate of those around me. If he started fussing at dinner, he was marched out and kept out until he could calm down. These parents seemed to be of the "I paid for the cruise so I'll do what I want" variety. Thankfully it sounds like the OP is not that type of person.

I had 6132 on Connie. I actually take notes on all my cabins as I sail a lot and what to remember which I like. I do not remember any visual obstructions on the balcony, nor did I record any. So perhaps it is only some of them. Mine was on the hump, which might explain why no lifeboats below?

Understood. But much of what was shown in the picture, which is what I was referencing, was the gangway and it's surrounding structures. I don't care for Deck 6 either. I spend a lot of time on my balcony and while not all of it is looking down, I much prefer a higher floor so as not to have any vision interference.

You do understand that all that metal work you see is related strictly to boarding, and will not be there once you sail?

If you recently booked, then the only way you can book Aqua Class is as all included, which means you will get classic beverage package and basic Wi-Fi. On Celebrity, you have the option to upgrade your beverage package to premium, or you can pay the $$ difference for alcoholic drinks. You can either upgrade ahead of time, or wait until you are on the ship and make your decision then based on your needs. You also can upgrade to streaming wi-fi. It depends what you plan to use it for.

I guess I'm confused why you don't like S class ships, given your reasoning. They have a very nice, large forward facing lounge. And I'm not sure if you would call it a Promenade Deck per se, but they have tons of space where you can walk around the deck above the pool deck and see the ocean, as well as the aft bars. Not to mention your own balcony. I've spent hours on my balcony on every class of ship enjoying watching the ocean and relaxing. I agree that E class ships have lost a lot of what you speak of, but not liking S for that reason baffles me. I observed the Panama Canal transit just fine from the side railing, as well as from my own balcony. It was on Infinity, which I know is an M class ship, but the forward areas were too crowded and extremely hot due to no shade so I found plenty of other areas. And to answer your question - there are tons of reasons to cruise beyond "seeing the ocean". I'm like you - I love to relax and watch the sea. But not everyone is like that. Many cruise for the ports, the beaches, the bars and shows onboard, etc.. In fact it has been my experience when sitting out on my balcony that only very rarely do I see anyone else doing the same. They are either sitting out by the pool, or off in some inside venue. So not sure seeing the ocean is top priority for many.

And I've never gotten one! My son, who hasn't sailed in several years and rarely gambles, got one but I sail 8-9 times a year and gamble modestly and never get any. Oh well - hope it gets resolved for those involved.

I have a B2B booked for early October. We were going to spend a week after our first cruise in San Diego but when we saw some decent prices we decided to add a second cruise as well. We're in Aqua Class so the prices weren't rock bottom but better than on some other cruises we've looked into. We love these itineraries and just don't understand why they don't book up as well as, say, Caribbean cruises. I'm thinking people who live nearby just do land trips to see the various ports, and maybe others just don't realize what nice cruises these are. Maybe beach and snorkeling folks also don't find them as much fun (I am neither). To the OP - don't worry - the cruise will be great. Eclipse has not been revolutionized yet and is showing a tad bit of wear and tear, but we were on her last year and had a great time.

You're not wrong in your statement. At the same time, most of us pay full price anyway. I've bid on move-ups multiple times - never won one. Yes I could do a guarantee but I never would because some of the locations aren't the best. These days you are lucky to find deals - past final payment or not (not always, but not usually). So at the end of the day, this particular issue really isn't that big of one compared to those not needing handicapped rooms. As to how hard - have you dealt with Celebrity's IT talents???

Not referring to you - talking in general about people who book one way ahead of time not needed.

Yes, sometimes they are lax in enforcing the rules. But sometimes they are not - I have personally seen people turned away. Would not want to get there only to find out I was not permitted to join and would have to head to my cabin (which could be a long way away) to change shoes.

Thank you.

That's pretty rude. It's not a silly question. I've sailed extensively on Celebrity on all ships but one and am subject to motion sickness. M class does not handle rough seas as well as S or E. Still a big ship and generally smooth sailing but M class is definitely different.

I have heard it does but haven't tried it. I have had success using Facebook messenger

Can someone currently or recently on Eclipse give me some feedback on using OBC in the casino. Specifically: Do you have to go to the cashier? And if so, is there a minimum and maximum amount and do you need to use it all before you can cash out? If you can do it from the machine - same question as to whether you need to use all you've downloaded before you can cash out. I know this varies by ship but don't recall how Eclipse handles it. TIA

Different tastes for everyone. Not sure of the quality of singers on this particular ship, but Topper is one of my all time favorite Celebrity shows! Love the music options. Over the years (and many cruises) we've seen some great singers, and some just ok singers, but never bad ones. And having a live orchestra is great and being eliminated on many lines. I did not care for Amade either - once and done for that one.

Only 78, and it was last year. Seems a little small compared to some I am seeing! Sadly next year it will be less - just can't afford to cruise as often with the current prices.

You also are able to bring water onboard upon embarkation and in the ports. I have been in a couple of ports where there were signs saying people couldn't bring on water in plastic bottles, although truthfully I didn't see anyone enforcing that.

Unfortunately, there is nothing "typical" these days about fares going up or down as the cruise industry and travel industry in general are definitely not in typical times. My best advice if you want to risk it, would be to check the availability of cabins you are interested in. If there are a lot of open cabins then prices may drop after final payment is due. If the opposite is true, I would expect them to continue to rise. Right now many cruises are selling at capacity (and in fact, some at over capacity!). I'm not saying you may not find a deal somewhere, but they are rare. Prices are, overall, much higher than they have ever been. Lastly, some of the large cannot-be-named-here travel agencies have sales at specific times like Memorial Day, or 4th of July.

I was in a Sky Suite in January. Absolutely loved the bed! I also wish I could take it home with me. Firm enough to be supportive but soft enough to be comfortable. I believe they had upgraded the mattresses in all cabins, but I cannot guarantee that for sure of my own knowledge.

That is not completely true. Equinox was indeed upgraded partially. The full revolutionizing could not be completed due to some kind of issue in the port area which specifics I don't recall. I sailed Equinox on a back to back this January. Full disclosure - I was in a sky suite. I thought the ship was in great shape. She is, in fact, my favorite of all the Celebrity ships (I confess some of this is due to knowing several crew members from multiple sailings over the years). Silhouette does have additional restaurants and their Retreat deck has the bar and hot tub as you mention, whereas Equinox does not (I personally don't care but some might).