cacbeausang

So excited to be brought along on this cruise by Charla!!  Sad to learn this is her last X cruise for awhile, that means we won’t see her in June on our cruise.  Someday!

This seems like great news.  I hope they expand to include MIA departures by June!

On 1/18/2023 at 6:01 AM, GenerationX said:

It’s a beautiful morning to be nursing sprite and ice water on my veranda.

 

My butler has been really good about restocking my ice bucket and bottled water at turn down and this morning it is a life saver.

 

We’ll go further back in time later today and talk about my amazing early evening last night at the One Pool and second dinner in Le Muse.

 

But first, I wanna tell you all about the most ridiculous cruise ship party I’ve ever been to. 

 

MSC does not play when it comes to their white night pool party.  Apparently they throw a party like they decorate a cruise ship. Extra. Extra. EXTRA.

 

While as mentioned above, I’m not much of a fan of over the top decor. On the other hand, I love an over the top party.

 

I think every crew member who could sing, dance, do a backflip or play an instrument showed up in full white party attire at some point to perform.

 

After the performances a DJ started and the ship’s entertainment team got the dance floor started.  I’ve had some really great party nights on Celebrity (as evidenced my my hangover nursing on the retreat sun deck on day 2 of my prior cruise).  This party though was like south beach at sea.

 

Looking at how crowded the deck was, I’d say 70% of the adult passengers on the ship were at that party (and, at least at 11pm at night, had enough sense to not bring their small children).  Even better, 90% of said attendees had RHYTHM!  And got out on the dance floor nonstop for almost 2 hours!

 

Alcohol consumption seemed to abound, but I didn’t see anyone getting to the point of being a sloppy mess.

 

When I pulled myself away from the dance floor a little after midnight, I was actually the early bailer.  So I can’t represent or warrant whether the fun took a turn for a hot mess later on.

 

When I got back to my room, I cooled off on my veranda drinking wine and eating cake and prosciutto and, while the sound didn’t carry inside the room, out on the veranda I could still hear echoes of the party still going strong.

 

Oh, you’re probably wondering how on earth I ended up with wine, cake and prosciutto at midnight.  Well…

 

When I got back to the quiet refuge of the yacht club and came in my room, I saw that butler Kevin’s turndown game seems to be escalating with each passing night.

 

At dinner tonight I was way too full to have dessert and be in any fit state for a dance party afterwards. Rohan and Z then suggested that I just tell them what I’d like for dessert and Kevin could come collect it and deliver it to my room at turndown so that I had a little snack after the party.

 

I took them up on that and when I got back post-party I saw that Kevin did in fact deliver my chocolate cake.  Plus a glass of wine. And meat and cheese.  With preserves and honey, just how I order my cheese plate at the restaurant.

 

After I finish my sprite I’m going to go find some recovery breakfast and then hang out by the one pool.  Then maybe have a chat with the gentleman from future cruises (NEVER thought I’d be saying that about any other line than Celebrity).  This afternoon we arrive at Ocean Cay.

 

 

 

 

 

 

You cracked me up with the escalating turn down game comment!!  And that party sounded amazing, so much fun.  Your reviews always make me want to get on a ship immediately and hope that I run into you.  Thanks for taking us along, it’s a blast.

On 1/13/2023 at 5:02 PM, GenerationX said:

Good evening friends!  

 

I’ve pulled myself together after a long afternoon nap and am having a glass of decoy listening to acoustic guitar before dinner with Red in Tuscan Grille.

 

I haven’t done much today other than lie around on the retreat deck, eat lunch at Sushi on 5 (report to come) and nap.  But hey, sometimes sea day life be like that.

 

I did contemplate spending some time on the main pool deck after lunch, but when I made a lap, the blaring party music, crowds and not small groups of passengers who were already at the party point I was at at 1am last night was giving me flashbacks to the Carnivalesque pool deck on Equinox this past summer.  But hey, 4 night cruises be like that sometimes.  I was happy to stick with the much more relaxing vibe on the Retreat deck.

 

The guitarist just went for her break so while I’m sipping, a back in time report on last night:

 

When I walked into Murano I once again got that look of recognition from the restaurant manager and all of the staff who smiled warmly and greeted me by name.  I wonder if in addition to our pictures, the crew have some info on the royal suite guests’ past cruise history, because multiple people also said “welcome back to the Silhouette” and one made a joke about hoping they beat Le Voyage on Beyond.

 

For dinner I went with my go to dishes and had the lobster bisque and mushroom risotto to start, followed by Murano lobster, with the gran marnier soufflé for dessert.  The bisque wasn’t as good as it’s been before. The sherry was really strong to the point of being a little overpowering.  When my risotto came, my server Anastasiia (who was fantastic by the way, if you go ask for her!) suggesting topping it with some freshly grated Parmesan and it really took it to the next level!  I think this was the best Murano lobster I’ve had since the restart and the soufflé was heaven as always.  I was offered a cheese course as well but I was so stuffed I couldn’t possibly (probably the only bit of restraint I managed to show last night).

 

I paired everything with a bottle of Penner Ash and asked the sommelier Merry to send the rest up to my room and it was waiting for me when I got back in the wee hours.

 

After dinner I went to World Class bar for a Celebrity Number 10 before the sound of the house band starting their grand foyer set pulled me to the packed dance floor.  The band was so good when they wrapped up their set the crowd started chanting for an encore and they obliged us with 2 more songs.  After the band wrapped up I followed several of my dance partners to the sky lounge.

 

Once again it seemed like I was recognized and when I’d go to the bar to order a cocktail, I was almost always prioritized for quick service (which is probably how I got in trouble now that I’m thinking about it).

 

We also have a great DJ this cruise who played a good mix of modern hits and throw back classics (I will never not shake it to Brick House).

 

Once security brought up the house lights and shut us down about 1:30, the bartenders made me a T&T to take to bed (like I didn’t have that in my room) and I finished it on my deck doing a little star gazing before crashing. 

 

I don’t think I could’ve asked for a better first night! 

 

More to come once I’m full of pasta and steak.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amazing!  I was so glad to see you back with one of your fun, informative reviews, and this exceeds all expectations.  Penner-Ash is a favorite, did you bring it on, or was it a choice on board?  Also looking forward to your MSC review next.  Continue to have a wonderful trip, and thanks for taking us along!

June 4, 2022 cruise on the Equinox the Concierge lunch was held on Embarkation Day.  It was nice to be able to have a relaxing lunch in the MDR.

Our cruise ended June 12, 2022, Equinox.  Also awaiting a pro-rated Covid refund.  I just got off the phone with Celebrity, it was about a 35 minute wait to get to a representative, and after I explained what was needed (pro-rated Covid refund), the representative said it would take at least an hour for her to get someone from the proper department to  deal with the refund and she would call back.  She called me back about 2 hours later, and transferred me to the post-cruise refund department (not sure what they are really called).  He looked at the cruise log and found the date isolation/quarantine started, calculated the refund, advised it would be a credit to the original form of payment, took the credit card information, and initiated a refund request.  It did take awhile on the phone for sure, but that’s the step I took.  The cruise ended June 12, 2022, so I gave it about a month (less time than you have been waiting, frustrating for you for sure) and then called.  I was told that after approval from the accounting department (all they did today was confirm the quarantine, calculate the refund amount, confirm credit card for payment and initiate the request for refund) of the refund request (which should be a “rubber stamp”), then it would be 30-45 days for the refund to be posted to my credit card.  I have heard of others who didn’t call or email and received refunds very quickly.

Post #11, Thank you for confirming that Captain Matt does a daily announcement of birthdays and anniversaries, first names only.  To post #7 and #10, I assure you that I am aware of which ship I am currently enjoying- by the pool right now, it is the Celebrity Equinox.  Just because you had not previously ever experienced this does not mean it has not or is not happening.  No one asked for it the announcement, just put a note in “special occasions” section of cruise details.  I was just replying to the OP with information related to their question.

We had several celebrations during our sailing (family group) which we indicated on the “special occasion” part of our reservation details.  There is a daily announcement for birthdays and anniversaries over the PA, and we have heard family names mentioned, but no other “celebration.”   I would imagine if we had mentioned any of the occasions to our lead server, we may have gotten cake or something, but since we get dessert after dinner anyway, we didn’t make it a priority.

OP- we are currently on the Equinox, we are on Day 6 of an 8 night  sailing.  We are having a wonderful time; however, service in the main dining room is definitely slower than when we cruised pre-covid.  We are traveling as an adult family and have the 6 pm seating.  Dinner typically takes 2 full hours start to finish (we arrive at 6 pm).  It’s fine- we are on vacation, but it’s definitely not as “service forward” as when we cruised in 2018.  The servers seem to be responsible for more tables than our last cruise, so the service is not as personable or as immediate, but it’s fine.  During the day, getting a drink at the bars near the pool takes 20-30 minutes, again fine, because we are on vacation, but slower than our last cruise.  I have more patience than other family members, so I go get the drinks.  Our room attendant is wonderful, and we are having a great time, but there is definitely a difference in service at the restaurants and bars.   I have heard that the ship is about 2/3 full, but heard that from another passenger, so I don’t know if the information is accurate.

We had this problem, and the first two calls we were told they would send an email to the documents department, and we would receive our documents and access in 48 hours or less.  After that didn’t happen over the course of 10 days and 2 attempts, I called again.  The customer service rep was not able to figure it out, and I asked if I could speak with a manager as we kept having the same issue and it hadn’t been resolved.  After a 90 minute chat with a manager, the problem was identified.  We paid for an excursion, and it showed as paid in one system, and as an error in the other.  The problem was not fixed, but the manager “zeroed” out the balance so we could access the e docs and luggage tags.  He said they would have to actually “fix” the problem later.  But at least we were able to access the e docs for now and print luggage tags.  It remains to be seen if we will have to pay double for the excursion…….  All chats were very congenial, but a little tiring.

Thanks OP,  each of our family saved $500/room for our June 22 Caribbean cruise!

I was interested in this pass based on some of the posts if it was a one-time charge.  I just looked in our cruise planner, and it is $32.99/day each and when I added it to the cart, the total was just over $527.  So I was not so lucky, but it was worth a try!  We are on the June 4, 2022 Equinox Caribbean cruise.  

We have a family trip booked on the Equinox, June 27, 2021 and yet my step-brother got the above posted e-mail cancelling his “2022 cruise on the Reflection”????  The email was forwarded by his big box TA.  I called Celebrity and they believe he was sent the e-mail in error as our cruise is still on (for now, it was modified to 7 days) and he is still booked in the correct room.  Has anyone else received this e-mail in error also?  I am hoping it really was an error.....

Want2Cruise 701: I was curious after reading the posts again and had some extra time (recently retired/nowhere to go because of Covid) so I called Celebrity (I booked through them directly) and asked about the pro-rating and now I owe more for a 7 day cruise than the 8 day.  I wanted to make sure it would be adjusted and they would protect the rate, perks and original OBC.  The second rep with whom I spoke contacted a supervisor and they adjusted my invoice so I now owe less for the new 7 night cruise than I did for the 8, I have my original OBC plus $100 and the perks are now showing.  When I asked if they could “fix” my Mom’s pricing, he said that they were in the process of adjusting everyone’s invoices so they show the pro-rated protected rate/perks, and it would show in a couple of weeks.

2 things - my new total is much less than the prevailing rate, but about $150 more than I expected based on my old rate, so I need to give it some time and will check again.  I don’t really expect that they will “fix” my Mom’s rate without a call, but I will give it a couple of weeks.  Hope you find this useful.

We are having the same experience as Want2Cruise 701 for a June Equinox cruise.  I am waiting a couple more weeks to see if they straighten the fare out.  Right now, we show owing more for one night less, lost our original OBC and our perks.  I think Arizona Wildcat is probably right and am hopeful that Celebrity will eventually figure this all out and protect our original rate, perks and OBC.  But I am following these boards to see how things progress, and will call if it doesn’t seem to get sorted out.

As an update, we received notice (as did the other two in our group who booked directly with Celebrity) that our cruise had been modified to 7 days (we were booked on the 8 day Eastern Caribbean departing 6/26/21) and would receive one night credit pro-rated and $100 additional OBC and have the same room, etc.   I called Celebrity as those in our family who booked with the big box TA had not received notification - the rep said that those end up being group bookings and it will take longer to modify their reservation, but they will receive the same as was described to us, it will just take longer to notify them.  Also, we will have to re-link all of our reservations once this is finalized - those were dropped with the modification.  So all good for now, and we’ll see if we actually sail or not in 2021.

We are the 8 night on June 25, so we are wondering along with Wesport........

We are booked on the June 26, 2021 Equinox Eastern Caribbean for 8 nights - 6 rooms together, Mom’s 80th B-Day celebration.  Just looked - the cruise still shows on my reservations, but it doesn’t exist to book anymore.  The 7 night cruise that seems to replace it has our rooms showing as available, so it seems that they aren’t reaching out to current customers with the option to keep their bookings first.  That is a bummer.  We’ll see if they send us any notice.  We booked directly with Celebrity, and some of the family booked with big box and other TAs.

Refunded in full (finally), timeline:

April 3 cruise cancelled by Celebrity in March.  Requested a refund using Celebrity’s link sent via text.  No acknowledgement.  

Big Box TA through which we booked sent email link to either request a refund or 125% CC.  Filled out link April 2  requesting refunds for our cruise and my Mom’s (we booked both Rooms).  April 10 received email confirmation from Big Box TA regarding our request for refund for 2 rooms with the verbiage that it may take up to 90 days for the refund.  Paid excursions refunded almost immediately to original form of payment.  Kept checking for the refund, reading this site regarding other’s experiences.  Checked credit card on July 10:

June 23: received 3 credits to original form of payment (1 for my cruise fare, 1 for my husbands, and 1 for my Mom’s fare)

June 24: received 3 credits to original form of payment (1 for my deposit, 1 for my husband’s deposit, and one for my Mom’s deposit)

Full refund received by June 24, about 90 days after originally requested our refund, but less than 90 days after email acknowledgment of request for refund by TA.

We didn’t dispute the charge, although if we hadn’t received our refund by 90 days, I would have disputed.  Just glad we have our $ back, will request a check for the positive balance from our credit card next week.