phoenix_dream

Celebrity is not known for fantastic production shows, but Equinox happens to have one of my favorites - Topper. The topic is a bit weird but I love the music. Their guest entertainment changes regularly so can't comment on that. Sometimes it's excellent; sometimes not so much. The lounge entertainment is generally quite good.

You've picked my favorite Celebrity ship and my favorite Caribbean itinerary. In fact, sailed it on a B2B this past January, and have it booked again for a B2B next January. You've already gotten a lot of tips. One more is to see if there is a Roll Call for your cruise and join it, or if not create one. You can get lots of tips that way as well. As to weather, yes that is hurricane season but hurricanes do not generally go that far southwest. You could possibly have to reroute to get there if one develops, or perhaps you could encounter some rain, but your odds of good weather for that location are very good regardless of the time of year.

Like I said, not getting into a debate on it here on CC. There's already way more of that discussion than there needs to be

It seems to me that if the whole point of the family cruise is to celebrate the 50 year anniversary of two very special people then the family should pick the vacation that would be most appealing to them and the two teenagers should just put on their big boy pants and deal with it. My son cruised with us on Celebrity many times in his teen years and somehow he survived to tell the tale. Celebrity is a great fit for a 50 year anniversary IMHO. Spring break will likely cost a fortune, but during the summer the prices may be more reasonable. An alternative is to pick a Royal Carribean ship, but I would suggest one of the older, smaller ones. Putting a 50 year anniversary couple on one of their mega ships sounds like torture to me.

Actually, in the 1990's my son was refused entry into the main theater during the Captain's toast on chic night (then formal night) because he had changed his shoes into athletic shoes rather than dress shoes. Hard to believe but true! Celebrity has come a long way since then (and I am one who thinks for the worse vis a vis dressing, but not going to get into it any further on these boards!)

Oops. Apologies. I was thinking of our recent Solstice cruise.

Also be advised that Eclipse is in the process of updating some of their balcony furniture. I don't know if it applies to all cabins, but we were in a suite in March and went out at the port and came back to different furniture. Nice looking but not as comfortable as what was there before. Not sure if they were doing all balconies or only suite balconies.

My days of sailing in suites are over for now (maybe ever). Just can't justify the prices. I was so spoiled the last couple of years - after sailing most of my 70+ cruises in everything from inside to Aqua (with the latter being the most often), we were able to book suites on all of our cruises (I've lost count of the number - more than 10 I think). We even tad one cruise in a Royal Suite for what we usually paid for Aqua Class (aaaahhhh those were the days). Now the suite prices are so, so high. But as long as they fill them that won't change. I have to think when some people start looking at their credit card balances the trend might change but that's just wishful thinking on my part perhaps.

Generally laundry is returned in two days, although sometimes in suites we have been able to get it the next day.

I agree with those who pointed out that the language has been there since restart. In most cases to date (those last two words being key), people were not disembarked they were quarantined. I have read of a few cases (usually prior to many days at sea like a TA) where people were in fact left in foreign countries due to Covid. It will be interesting to see how Celebrity handles this going forward and if they change their process. Hopefully not. As it is people are hesitant to report for fear of being quarantined. If they increase the disembarkations that would really cause an uproar so hopefully that will only be used in unique circumstances.

I can speak for myself. While I love the service and the less crowded dining space in Luminae (except for E class where Luminae is very crowded and very loud), I really don't care for the menu most nights. I like the Blu menu much better. On ships where I can get MDR dishes as well I will generally stay in Luminae. If not, I will sometimes head over to Blu. There are pros and cons to this. IMHO it is a rare (not never, but rare) case where a suite guest is denied Blu dining, especially for upper level suites. This can sometimes lead to Aqua guests having to wait for a table. On one Reflection cruise awhile ago, they were letting in several suite guests while there were lines of 10-12 people trying to get in, with waits of over a half hour. To make matters worse one large table of suite guests insisted on dining in Blu and ordering off the MDR menu, which required the waiters to go to a different kitchen. It was very frustrating for the staff and other diners. (and I'm not assuming any of this stuff - I heard the info directly from my waiter at the time).

And those of us lucky enough to be Zenith and who love to book Aqua Class are very frustrated that you can only get the all included. Wish they would go back to cruise only fares for all cabins besides suites (and for that matter, for the same reason I wish they would have suite cruise only fares as well - know it won't happen but a girl can dream).

A simple question and a lot of speculation as to what the OP actually means or doesn't mean. I'll do the same myself. If you are concerned about eating in Blu because you think it is too "healthy" or too fancy or whatever, let your fears be put to rest. It is neither of those things. The way they have described it on the website and advertising leads one to believe it is like eating healthy food at an expensive spa. It is not, unless for example you consider a wonderful short ribs dinner healthy. Unlike Luminae, it is more like what most people might consider "normal" everyday food, cooked very well with excellent service and a more intimate dining room.

So if you get Covid they can dump you in a foreign country (which may be a relatively unsafe third world country with limited medical facilities) with no assistance or resources and the part that concerns you is maybe you might have to wear a mask onboard?! Wow.

Too often on these boards people, usually innocently, report incorrect information because they assume all experiences will match theirs. So much varies by port, itinerary, sailing, ship, current personnel on the ship, and on and on.

I fat fingered the name. It's Cabrillo Marine Aquarium. Sorry.

An alternative is to just walk over to the Carrillo Marine Aquarium right down the road from the Doubletree. It’s not huge, but it’s nice and it’s free! Check the hours I think it opens at noon. It’s a nice relaxing, at times scenic, walk there and it’s right next to a nice little local park on the ocean.

It all depends on the port, and even the security staff that day. I’ve brought on a few plastic bottles of water and Diet Coke (left over from our precruise stay) in multiple ports, even those with signs saying they are prohibited, on multiple cruises over the past couple of years. I agree some ports strictly prohibit it but not all.

If you miss the ship for any reason you can go to your country’s embassy and they will assist you in getting home if need be. It is more risky to carry a passport and risk it being stolen or lost. My opinion.

Respectfully, that proves nothing - only that you were at ports that didn't do it. I've had to do it a number of times.

Sorry for your stress. We used a local Alaska travel agent who put together a nice tour for us. Cost us a lot fewer $$ as well. Perhaps that is an option? We were able to use buses and the Alaska railroad, and had a nice tour of Denali. Or perhaps you can rent a car and do your own thing? it is the US after all, so you are familiar with the rules of the road, same side of the road driving, etc..

They are most often at 7 and 9, but I have been on Celebrity cruises recently where they were 7:30 and 9:30, 7 and 9:30, and even 6:45 and 9, and occasionally one show only at 9:00 or 9:30. I grant you it never used to be that way - it was always 7 and 9 for years and years. But these days there are exceptions.

IMHO all suite prices (at least those I've looked into) are sky high at the moment. On every sailing I've been on lately they are also fully booked. Until the price bubble bursts I don't see any suite bargains coming, through Move Up or otherwise.

I respectfully disagree with that sentiment. I regularly sail Celebrity (6-8 cruises a year post-retirement) and I've sailed in suites, and in lower level cabins, all the way "down" to inside cabins. I never once felt like a second class citizen. I get excellent service, and great food, and nice entertainment regardless of my cabin. There are plenty of places to hang out onboard both inside and outside. It's possible your favorite place to sunbathe may have been taken over, and I'm sorry for that, but they don't treat anyone like second class passengers. Do I get a little more attention and a notch better service when I am in a suite? Yes, I'd be lying if I said otherwise. But I regularly sail in Aqua Class or Concierge and never felt anything but special.

I agree that the Chic nights are generally night 2 and night 7 on an 8 night cruise, but it can vary based on the itinerary. They usually put them on sea days, but sometimes due to the actual itinerary there could be one on a port day. I have sailed a number of cruises where night 7 was a port day and they had Chic night that night, and on others where they had a sea day the night before so held it then. If it is a port day, they will not hold them on port days where the ship leaves the port late. Nor will they hold them if there is an overnight, on that night.