mac_tlc

Crisis averted! The Eagle has landed:

That is my plan for Beyond next week. I’ll let you know how it goes in my LIVE thread. mac_tlc

It’s looking positive for my delivery tomorrow!

OK, here we go! We will be on the Beyond this Sunday, 1/29/23, with a two-day stop at Disney's Vero Beach Resort on the way. We flew down today from CT, just getting out before the snow started. We fly into Orlando since we have a house about 5 minutes from the airport. A one-way rental car will do the trick to get us to Port Everglades. Since we have a house down here, we really don't pack anything, just a personal item each. We almost always fly Spirit and use their Big Front Seats ! Its a great option if you don't need bags, can't beat the comfort. (OK, this is the cue for all the Spirit-haters to join in). An advantage of having the house is we don't pack much, the disadvantage lately has been that I don't spend a lot of time thinking about what I need to bring before we leave CT. Today that became a real problem. When we got to Bradley airport, I remembered that I forgot our passports 😯. With not enough time to drive the 40 miles home and back to get them, we developed Plan B. Very luckily, our son lives about a mile from our house. A frantic, yet quick, call to him and he went to our house, got the passports and made a bee line to the nearest UPS Store, about a mile away. $96.60 later, they are (hopefully) on their way and we will have them tomorrow morning at 8am. Boy, I sure hope so.................. So, let's pretend that nothing happened this morning and we will continue the LIVE review... We will pack tomorrow and leave Friday morning for Vero Beach. We have been Disney Vacation Club members since almost Day 1, but haven't been to VB in a while. We will have two nights in an Ocean View Studio room. Looking forward to going to the Italian Cousin restaurant in Sebastian... We are in a Sky Suite on Beyond, so we can answer any Q's people have on the Retreat and the amenities. Due to the "current events" on the Celebrity board we will be making almost-nightly trips to the Oceanview Cafe to scope out what's there. Only Specialty restaurant we have planned is Eden on Day 3 but will probably do LeGrand Bistro for lunch. We did both on the Apex last year and they were wonderful. Other than that, we can be found at Cafe alBacio every day and some days multiple times. Will probably do some of the shows, make a few donations at the casino, and spend some time in The Club. As far as ports, we have no plans at Nassau or Costa Maya, although we usually go to Maya Chan. In Cozumel, we will head to Nachi Cocom as usual. Here's hoping the pool isn't too cold like last January. Do not plan on getting off at Grand Cayman and, it seems, we will be spending time at the Pool Bar that day... More later.. mac_tlc

As of mid March, Harmony moves to Miami. Coincides with Symphony going to Europe.

We enjoy Coastal Kitchen much more than the MDR. Less crowded, better view, less noise, and the food comes to the table hot. mac_tlc

My wife and I status matched from Royal Caribbean Diamond Plus to Gold. Took about an hour or two to get confirming e-mail.

Once we sail Ascent and Beyond next year, we will have been in 10123 on all four ships 😂😂.

Think I’ll book a solo JS for about 30 days so I can get that slice of pizza! WooHoo! Not too happy losing three cookies though 😔. mac_tlc

Thanks for the reconnaissance. Bourbon not necessarily equals Kentucky. Bourbon Requirements On 4 May 1964, the United States Congress recognized Bourbon Whiskey as a “distinctive product of the United States.” The Federal Standards of Identity for Distilled Spirits (27 CFR 5) state that bourbon must meet these requirements: Bourbon must be made of a grain mixture that is at least 51% corn. Bourbon must be distilled to no more than 160 (U.S.) proof (80% alcohol by volume). Bourbon must be aged in new, charred oak barrels. Bourbon may not be introduced to the barrel at higher than 125 proof (62.5% alcohol by volume). Bourbon which meets the above requirements and has been aged for a minimum of two years, may (but is not required to) be called Straight Bourbon. Bourbon aged for a period less than four years must be labeled with the duration of its aging. If an age is stated on the label, it must be the age of the youngest whiskey in the bottle. Only whiskey produced in the United States can be called bourbon.

We always try for the S2’s on deck ten near the front elevators. Convenient to Luminae, Retreat Lounge and Sundeck. Keep in mind that beginning with the Fall 2023 sailings, I think, the category names change to Sunset Sky Suite ( for the aft S1’s), Aqua Sky Suite ( many of the S2’s), Sky Suite, and Magic Carpet Sky Suite (the S3’s). mac_tlc

I think given the last two or three pages of posts, this thread has a very limited remaining life. mac_tlc

Will be on Beyond in two weeks with same situation I suppose. I’d rather stay at sea. We don’t plan on getting off and I bet the Pool Bar will be a crowded mess. Celebrity should ditch GC . mac_tlc

...first time, long time ......

And their prices are very,very high. A Grand Suite for $12+K for 2 for 7 days, with no gratuities/OBC/drinks. And almost 7000 of your closest friends. mac_tlc

For our 1/29 Beyond sailing, rack of lamb shows on Day 6. Loin on day 3. With all the apparent changes going on, I’m not sure the app is accurate, we will soon see. mac_tlc

Great review. Given the cabana prices on CoCo Cay, $500 is a bargain. They usually run $1000 to as high as $3400. They are great with kids and we have done it when we have a party of 8. For just two, we would probably pass. mac_tlc

Your first paragraph is us too. Our Beyond cruise in a couple weeks and in Feb 2024 along with the Ascent in Jan 2024 are in the Retreat. In August 2024 we have sunset verandas in Alaska for us the kids and grandkids. The two Edge repo cruises are also in the Retreat, but those may not happen. Up to now, we have loved the E class Retreat, but future prices are unacceptable for us. So far O has not been enticing for reasons I have mentioned before. Frankly following @GenerationX MSC review this week has me seriously looking at the Seashore YC out of Cape Canaveral, where I have always yearned for an X ship. VV is a non starter — we dislike everything about their vibe. No casino and absurd payment terms have, to this point, eliminated Viking Ocean. I plan on doing a live review from the 1/29 Beyond, so stay tuned and get your questions ready. mac_tlc

We are on Beyond in a couple weeks. I plan on posting the current Luminae menus along with the ones we had on Edge/Apex last year, if different. mac_tlc

That is true for Royal ( bookings made after 6/1/22) not for Celebrity —- yet. mac_tlc

We are also looking at O, but frankly have not found any huge price difference yet. The food seems better, but the relative lack of activities we enjoy is a minus. Their itineraries also have a lot of port stops — one 11 day one on Vista has seven straight ports. That's not for us. Some mobility challenges make that no fun. Stay on ship? Sure but some facilities are closed in port. In two weeks we will be on the Beyond and see for ourselves. Then we will decide. These multiple threads are interesting to read but frankly, comparisons to Golden Corral and Applebees seem a bit much. I’ll experience it myself, then figure out our future cruising path. mac_tlc

They are test menus no more. They will supposedly be fleet wide by the end of February. The new menus no longer have the “classics” section and overall have fewer choices. For anyone interested in what the sister is up to, here are the first 7 new Royal MDR menus.

TA site still has Brilliance Down Under in Feb 2024. Here is a link to the fleet deployment that also shows that. https://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Royal/Deployment/2023_2024/2023-24_Deployment_Summary_Guide mac_tlc

One site is www.resortpass.com Looks pretty nice. Cabana is the way to go ! mac_tlc

And the food comes out hot if it’s suppose to be hot.